Flyers in India, as well as those flying over the country, may soon be able to make voice calls and remain connected to the Internet even when on board an aircraft as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Friday recommended allowing in-flight connectivity in Indian airspace.
Currently, flyers are not allowed to use mobile phones and Internet within the Indian airspace due to security concerns. While the government has been considering the issue for almost two years, with the latest TRAI recommendation, flyers will be able to check emails, send and receive WhatsApp messages and post statuses and photos on social networking sites.
People today, Trai highlighted, are increasingly accustomed to stay connected anywhere, 24/7 – driven by the need to keep in touch with family, enjoy entertainment and maintain critical business communications. Even when they fly, they want broadband connectivity equal to what they’ve experienced from terrestrial network and Wi-Fi hotspots on the ground, it said, adding that the demand for in-flight Internet access is driven by millions of smart phones, tablets and laptop computers.
ADVERTISEMENT
About, 83% of passengers would prefer to fly with an airline offering in-flight connectivity and over half (55%) of all in-flight connectivity users have connected more than one device, a survey found.