If you remember, a decade ago, some of us traveling by airplane had to turn off our mobile phones before the flight’s departure. We didn’t have any internet or basic voice and data connectivity with the rest of the world during the flight.
It was only after the arrival of the flight that the mobile phone could pick up some telecommunication signals. The same is the case with people traveling for days on a voyage with no internet connectivity.
The crew operated and established connections with the base station on a certain defined frequency bandwidth that the passengers couldn’t access.
But with time, things change for the better. Now we, as passengers, are starting to get internet connectivity most of the time on the flight and the ships as well. This is because of the advancement in the technology infrastructure in telecommunications.
Now, we have highly advanced ISPs who can avail their internet services on high-speed moving aircraft and long-distant sea ships from the continent’s mainland. But to make these internet services available to travelers, the internet service providers must have a legal permit from the country where they want to offer their internet services. Read More: Demonstration License
This legal permit is termed the Maritime Approval. Maritime Approval is authorization to provide voice and data services on ships and flights. The Department of Telecommunication issues these approvals.
Once you get the license from the DoT to provide such services, you then become an IFMC service provider, i.e., International Flights and Maritime Connectivity service providers.
The Department of Telecommunications issued a notification in 2018 to establish the Flight and Maritime Connectivity rules. According to those rules, a specialized ISP can provide voice and data services on flights and ships with prior maritime Approval.
Maritime Approval Guidelines:
- Only IFMC licensed service providers can provide telecom services in aircraft and ships.
- The primary goal of IFMC ISPs must be to provide telecommunication services to the general public travelling on ships and aircraft.
- Only Indian satellites can be utilized to provide maritime connectivity services.
- If the satellite is of foreign origin, it must get the prior Approval of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) to render its services to the IFMC service providers.
Eligibility Criteria for Maritime Approval license
The pre-conditions that must be observed for a wannabe IFMC service provider to procure the maritime approval license are listed below. Go through them carefully and ensure that you meet all the criteria before filing for the license registration.
- The applicant must be an ISP category-A license holder.
- Applicant must be a National Long Distance license holder or a commercial VSAT CUG Service license holder.
- The applicant must have a satellite gateway on the earth station within the defined service area of the proposed license.
- For providing in-flight data and voice connectivity, the applicant must be an Indian airline company. If the applicant is a foreign airline company, they must have permission to enter the Indian airspace.
- For maritime data and voice connectivity, the applicant company must be an Indian shipping company. If the applicant is a foreign shipping company, the applicant must have permission to port or traverse its vessels and/or ships in the Indian territorial waters. Read More: IPLC License
Required documentation for Maritime Approval license
To get your company’s Maritime Approval, you must submit the following documents with the license registration application that you will file with the DoT.
- Certified copy of Certificate of Incorporation of the applicant company.
- The Certified copy of the Memorandum of Association (MoA) of the applicant company
- Certified copy of the Article of Association (AoA) of the applicant company
- Net worth certificate of the applicant company
- Certified copy of the ISP License Agreement
- The Certified copy of the NLD License Agreement
- Certified copy of Satellite Gateway Establishment Agreement
Process to obtain Maritime Approval license
The procedure to file for registering a Maritime Approval license for an IFMC service provider is quite straightforward. Follow the below-mentioned steps to register for Maritime Approval for your company.
- Prepare the required documentation for application filing.
- File the application offline directly to the Under Secretary of the DoT (Department of Telecommunications)
- Submit the application and pay the application processing fee.
- Meeting the general monetary requirements as specified by the DoT
- Upon successful assessment and verification of the application, the DoT will issue you the Maritime Approval license. Read More: Dealer Certificate
Get your Maritime Approval with Registrationwala
Since the application for Maritime Approval license registration is entirely an offline process, it will not be easy. You will need some seasoned experts from the telecom sector who can help you get Maritime Approval for your firm. Registrationwala provides the exact kind of telecom-related professional expertise to file for the Maritime Approval license and get it approved by the authorities. We provide the following services to our clients:
- Furnishing the requisite documents.
- Filing the application with the Department of Telecommunications on your behalf.
- Conducting department follow-up while the application is getting assessed by the DoT.
- Dealing with any discrepancies arising during the application assessments. We can visit the authorities on your behalf on a summons.
So, if you want to become an International Flight and Maritime Approval (IFMC) service provider, connect with Registrationwala.