Air travellers in India can access internet services: Know How

Air travellers in India and those flying abroad will now be able to access Internet and mobile phone services on a flight.

The decision was approved by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on Friday.

Let’s know more about the in-flight internet services:

To get an internet signal onto the flight which is 35,000 feet above ground, there are two ways.

• Ground-to-air:

Ground-based mobile broadband towers are used

Signals from ground towers that are closest to flight path are picked by the aircraft installed with antennae on the fuselage

• Satellite:

Satellite technology receives signals even over vast water bodies

Aircraft antennae connect to satellites in geostationary orbit using receivers and transmitters

The information between ground and aircraft is delivered via satellite

On-board routers distribute the wifi signal through the aircraft after the antennae pick up signals

Speed of about 12 Mbps can be offered with this connection

Cost:

More expensive than on-ground connectivity

Whether wifi is used on phone, tablet, or laptop, the airlines charge based on use

Laptop connectivity is the most expensive

A popular US-based in-flight broadband internet service provider to 17 airlines, Gogo offers a 'monthly airlines plan', valid on domestic flights in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Free services are offered in -

-Bangkok-based Nok Air

-Norwegian Air Shuttle

-Turkish Airlines

-US's JetBlue Airways

-China's Air China and China Eastern

-Hong Kong Airlines

Upcoming developments:

• A British satellites telecommunication company, Inmarsat predicted that more than half of the world's aircraft will be equipped for in-flight wifi within six years and it is likely to become a billion-dollar revenue sector by 2020.
• Another company, Honeywell Aerospace estimated that a rapid wifi adoption will be witnessed in nearly 25,000 planes by 2025 and the global market for connected aircraft at $7 billion.