A much awaited meeting of the Telecom Commission on May 1 could grant approval for airlines to provide mobile call and data services on domestic routes. The meeting will also discuss net neutrality issues and allocation of E and V spectrum bands.
A Department of Telecom (DoT) official said the commission will study a report by a panel on these issues.
According to media reports, government agencies have granted permission for provision of data services on flights and this could extend to voice services later.
Pricing is expected to be in the hands of airlines, which may have to tie up with telecom providers to provide the services.
Inflight WiFi is on the 'must have' list of most airlines. In addition to enhancing connectivity for passengers, paid internet services add as a revenue source in a highly competitive market.
However, currently, browsing speeds of such data services tend to be slower compared with on-the-ground offerings and prices exorbitant. For example, while Emirates provides 20MB of data free for all flights, passengers who are not members of its Skywards loyalty programme may need to shell out as much as $10 dollars for 150MB. Air Asia charges $4.5 for 10MB (not available on Indian routes).
(With PTI inputs)