According to reports, the cost of flying can increase by approx Rs 500 – 1,000 depending on the duration one accesses the Wi-Fi in flight.
Telecom regulator TRAI’s nod to in-flight mobile phone calls and Wi-Fi services in domestic and international flights in India has been welcomed by airline travelers. Travelers will now be able to browse, chat or stream their favourite media content on a flight.
However, the experience comes at a cost and airlines will eventually have to pass on these costs. Reports suggest the cost of flying can increase by Rs 500 – 1,000 depending on the duration one accesses the Wi-Fi in flight.
“Users have to pay for using Wi-Fi, but tariffs will be decided by the service provider, TRAI will not interfere with it,” TRAI Chairman said. Let’s understand how in-flight Wi-Fi works.
Who will be the service providers?
According to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in-flight data connectivity providers will fall under a new category of licensees which will be known as in-flight connectivity (IFC) providers. IFCs need not be an Indian provider and the license fee is set at an initial token of Rs 1 per year.
How will data be transferred?
Airlines will receive signals beamed to them directly through geosynchronous satellites. These signals will be received by the airline through onboard antennas. The satellites will make use of Ku (12-18 GHz hence smaller range) and Ka (larger range at 26-40GHz) bands to transmit signals on to the plane. Satellite transmission straight to the plane is much more effective than beaming the signal to the ground first and then on to the airplane.
What is the apparatus involved and what are the technical challenges?
IFCs and airliners need to install additional equipment such as servers, antennas which convert the signals from the satellites into data readable by user’s devices. In addition, airliners need to reorient the antennas to the satellite in order to achieve optimum efficiency. This will be done by additional equipment which will be installed on the airline separately.
What is the cost of the equipment?
Installing equipment on the airplanes is an expensive affair. According to some experts, the costs can be as high as USD 400,000 – 600,000, with some experts pegging the figures even higher initially. This makes in-flight data more expensive than data on the regular 4G services network.
