Indian skies will be gifted with Wifi services in flight soon

Mumbai, December 13: Soon the flyers will be able to have an access to Wifi in flight. The telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will come out with its recommendations on allowing in-flight connectivity for voice, data and video services by December-end.

The new telecom policy will exemplify all those issues. Trai had begun the consultation process for framing guidelines for full-fledged in-flight mobile services in late September.

On-board WiFi services are being offered by foreign airlines both on domestic and international routes. However, they remain suspended over Indian airspace. This is because Security agencies argue that a key risk arising out of on-board WiFi include potential terrorists hacking into the aircraft system and using them remotely as missiles. Also, there are concerns that hijackers on board could use internet to communicate with their handlers on the ground.

Referring to recommendations on in-flight connectivity, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman R S Sharma said: "We are working on this and certainly in the current calender year, it will come out... which means in next 15 days or so." Sharma declined to divulge more, but said "the broad point is that in-flight connectivity shall be allowed". "Basically the recommendations will set broad parameters of that," he said.