Passengers to surf Web in the sky

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Passengers on Chinese airlines will be able to surf the Internet and make phone calls in the air under a government plan that requires Chinese airlines to set up satellite communication systems.

According to a draft proposal released Tuesday by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, airline companies will have satellite communication equipment installed from 2013 to 2016. By the end of 2016, all commercial aircraft should have the equipment.

"The new move is aimed at strengthening speech communication between the control room on the aircraft and the ground," said an official surnamed Ma from the publicity department at the administration.

It will promote the airlines' operation control ability, and also let passengers surf the Web, make phone calls and watch real-time TV, analysts said.

It's definitely a new attraction for flight passengers. Now that high-speed train passengers can surf the Web and make phone calls, airlines have to offer similar services to compete for potential customers, experts said.

"It has long been a dream for travelers to make phone calls and have Internet connections during flights. As long as the technology hurdles are overcome, both airlines and passengers will welcome such services," said Li Lei, an analyst at China Minzu Securities.

Zhang Wu'an, spokesman at budget carrier Spring Airlines, said: "We have been actively exploring this area. Once the technology is sophisticated with no interference in normal flight-crew communications, we will be willing to provide the service to our passengers."

In mid-September, China Eastern Airlines, the nation's second-largest carrier by passenger numbers, successfully tested the air-ground wireless broadband communication facility on its flight from Chengdu of Sichuan province to Xi'an of Shaanxi province, a source at the Shanghai-based carrier said.

Experts said by using satellite communications, the cost could be lower for airlines to provide in-flight entertainment.

Currently, special facilities must be set up on the ground along the flight route to realize the air-ground broadband communication service, said Ma Zhengxin, an expert on satellite communication at the Department of Electronics Engineering of Tsinghua University.

But that will be unnecessary with satellite communication systems, which allow such services on any flight routes - even intercontinental flights, Ma said.

In China, Air China is reported to be the first domestic carrier to offer WiFi service on its flights. In November 2011, an Air China Boeing aircraft tested its wireless local area network at the Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai-based Evening News reported.

Questions:

1. What new service can airline passengers expect soon?

2. What is the plan?

3. When will this happen?

Answers:

1. Surfing the Internet and making phone calls.

2. A new government plan requires Chinese airlines to set up satellite communication systems.

3. By the end of 2016, all commercial aircraft should have the equipment.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.