Flyers to avail mobile, internet facility as Telecom Commission gives nod

New Delhi: Passengers travelling by planes will be able to make calls and surf internet while flying over Indian airspace in the next three to four months as the Telecom Commission on Tuesday approved the Department of Telecommunications’ proposal for both internet and mobile use on aircraft.
But the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said that availability of call and internet facility will start in the flight once the aircraft achieves an altitude of 3,000 metres.
In order to promote in-flight connectivity, the government will charge a nominal licence fee of Rs 1 per annum from service providers, the official said.
He also said that the government will not intervene with the pricing mechanism used by the operators for providing the facility of in-flight connectivity.