Paris, 17 July 2014
ARCEP held a public consultation from 25 March to 11 April 2014 on a draft decision that sought to introduce the possibility of providing 3G and 4G in-flight services.
Today, ARCEP is publishing the decision it adopted once this consultation was complete, and which has been approved by the Government. Stakeholders' responses to the consultation are also being made public.
The ARCEP decision sets the conditions for using 3G and 4G services inside French airspace, in addition to the conditions that have been in effect since 2008 for using 2G frequencies on board aircraft. As a result, use of the following on board aircraft is now authorised at altitudes of more than 3,000 metres above the ground:
- 2G and 4G systems in the 1800 MHz band,
- 3G systems in the 2100 MHz band.
Airlines will therefore be able to provide passengers on their aircraft with 3G and 4G services, provided they comply with civil aviation regulations. All airlines will therefore have the option of offering these in-flight services, and will be free to set their own prices.
Linked documents
ARCEP Decision No. 2014-0532 (pdf - 311KB) (pdf - in French only) 
Stakeholders' responses to the public consultation (zip - 4.01MB) (zip - in French only - 4 Mo)