India: Govt may soon allow Wi-Fi use on flights

Fliers may soon be able to use Wi-Fi facility when they are on flights in the Indian airspace, with the govt Wednesday indicating that a decision is likely in the coming days. "I will be able to give you good news in 10 days," Civil Aviation secretary R N Choubey said in response to a query on when Wi-Fi would be allowed in flights. At present, fliers are not allowed to use mobile phones and Internet when they are in the Indian airspace. "There is fairly a good chance that in 10 days permission will be given to operate Wi-Fi in the Indian airspace," Choubey said. When asked whether there were any security issues in allowing Wi-Fi in flights, he said the important thing was about the "ability to track voice and data". If necessary, agencies should have access to the details and if need be it can be tracked, he noted. <br/>