A service was launched a few days ago that will allow passengers who cannot miss a call to continue talking even when they are on an airplane. The service is called “Roaming OnAir” and is offered by Unitel, in partnership with TAAG and allows passengers to make telephone calls in mid-flight.
If it is still not enough for you, with “Roaming On Air” you can also receive SMS, MMS, E-mails and more importantly, access the internet during the flight. Don't be too excited because “Roaming OnAir” is only available on the Luanda-Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo) and Luanda-Dubai routes.
But how does this service work?
Using Pico-BTS (Radio Base Station with a much smaller size than those that exist on the ground), the plane is able to connect the user of a certain network, in this case Unitel, with the rest of the ground users. By definition of the regulatory bodies, it is forbidden to do this before reaching 10 meters of altitude, so that there is no interference with the airplane's navigation system (for this reason it is forbidden to connect electronic devices during take-off and landing).
How much does it cost to activate Roaming On Air?
In Angola, Unitel has the exclusivity of the service, activated after selecting the international roaming service. The costs are similar. For that, just consult this enlightening price table.
[Via]: Angonoticias || [Image]: Travellers
