Rules to allow use of mobile phones for making calls and internet surfing during flights

New Delhi 05 Dec :Rules to allow use of mobile phones for making calls and internet surfing during flights in the Indian airspace could come as early as January, after Law Ministry gives its concurrence, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha indicated Wednesday.

Telecom Ministry is currently awaiting the views of Law Ministry on in-flight connectivity rules and is hopeful of notifying the norms soon thereafter, Sinha said.

“We have sought permission of Law Ministry, once that comes through…I believe that it will come in week or ten days….then we can start it,” Sinha told reporters here.

Asked if the Ministry expects to notify the rules by the start of the new year, the Minister said, he is hopeful that it will be the case.

On May 1, the Telecom Commission – the highest policy-making body of Department of Telecom (DoT) – had cleared a proposal for allowing wider in-flight connectivity that is now available in most of the developed markets.

The decision is expected to pave the way for travellers to use internet and voice services on mobile phone during flights in the Indian airspace. In-flight connectivity norms will also cover maritime transport.

On the issue of whether the coverage should extend to territorial waters or Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), a senior official aware of the ongoing discussions said, the Communications Ministry is of the view that the international best practices should be followed.

Territorial water extends up to 12 nautical miles (around 22 kilometers) from coastal line of the country, while EEZ covers up to 200 nautical miles.

“We have said…and the notification hopefully will say that we are aligned on international law on this, which is synched with EEZ. We are trying to fine tune the language,” the official said.