DRMumbai: According to reports, the Department of Telecom (DoT) will invite applications for Wi-Fi onboard flights in October, Civil Aviation Secretary R N Choubey said recently. He added that the matter would be taken up by Committee of Secretaries headed by the Cabinet Secretary.
“The DoT has identified in-flight connectivity as a separate service requiring a licence. The applications for this service will be invited in October,” Choubey said.
Whether the solicitation of interest would be from Internet service providers or from airlines keen to offer the service to passengers remains unclear.
The DoT approved a proposal from telecom regulatory body TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) in May to allow passengers to make phone calls and access Wi-Fi provided on-board data was routed through a satellite gateway on Indian soil to enable lawful interception.
