Customers Applaud Dialog-AeroMobile In-Flight Roaming Service

Colombo, 15 June 2009:

"Wonderful technology and great service, the in-flight communication service is so convenient, I have already recommended it to my friends and business partners,” remarked Mr. S. M. Rafique, Project Manager of Qatar Hospitals, describing his experience with the in-flight mobile service provided by Dialog Telekom in partnership with AeroMobile.

AeroMobile is the leading provider of this service having equipped the Emirates fleet, thus enabling the first-ever authorised in-flight call on a commercial flight in March last year. Dialog’s partnership with AeroMobile enables subscribers to safely use their mobile phones during selected flights. Dialog is the first mobile service provider in Sri Lanka to offer in-flight call services to customers, setting a new standard in the local mobile industry

The in-flight mobile service has received an overwhelming response from passengers as it enables them to communicate with friends, family and business associates during flights. One such Dialog customer who used the service on an Emirates flight, Mr. Manone Perera, Group TPM Manager of Coca Cola SABCO (Pvt) Ltd. said: “As a first-time user, I’m pleased to say that the in-flight communication service provided by Dialog is very convenient and useful in many ways. It is useful to organise business matters especially when you have tight schedules and during long haul flights. ”

The communication system allows passengers to make and receive calls as well as use text messaging during flights, and it automatically comes into operation when the aircraft reaches cruising altitude. Passengers wanting to use the system are greeted with a text message from AeroMobile when they switch on their phones.

Mr. Qadir Saheed, a university student from Florida USA is delighted with the in-flight mobile service. “This service is very useful and convenient. It could be used by passengers irrespective of demographic barriers and is very handy when you really need to get in touch with friends and family during flights.”

Dialog and AeroMobile announced they would add new features to benefit passengers including data applications. Dialog roaming customers could enjoy this service at affordable rates.

“Dialog takes great pleasure in joining hands with AeroMobile to facilitate in-flight communication for our patrons,” said Ms. Anoja Obeyesekere, Chief Executive Officer of Dialog Global. “This initiative is a demonstration of our commitment to provide the best in connectivity to our customers at any given time through the adoption of advanced technology and new alliances. I’m confident this partnership would present multiple benefits to customers and afford an enriching communications experience as they roam the world.”

The technology used for this service has been rigorously tested during a stringent approval process, and has received full approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency and the Dubai-based General Civil Aviation Authority. Commenting on their partnership with Dialog, Peter Tuggey, Chief Commercial Officer of AeroMobile said: “We are pleased to partner with Dialog Telekom in our efforts to connect people from across the globe through state-of-the-art in-flight communication facilities. This partnership will no doubt help bridge the communication gap between airline passengers and their associates, while serving as an ideal solution for increasing demand for in-flight communication services” 

About AeroMobile
AeroMobile Limited is a UK-based company which is majority owned by Telenor ASA. Since 2003, it has been pursuing the objective of developing the safe use of passengers own mobile phones and PDAs in response to market demands.

AeroMobile is the first in-flight mobile technology to be commercially available and first flew in June 2005 on Boeing’s 777-200LR ‘Worldliner’ demonstrator aircraft. It was subsequently trialled with Qantas on over 1,000 domestic Australian flights in 2007, when GSM text messaging and GPRS data services were offered to its passengers. In March 2008, the AeroMobile system made possible the first authorised in-flight calls on a commercial flight with launch customer Emirates. Since that time, over 160,000 Emirates passengers have used AeroMobile, and it is now available on 41 aircraft – a quarter of the airline’s fleet. AeroMobile is also in service with Malaysia Airlines, and will be rolled out on V Australia aircraft later this year.

AeroMobile is teamed with Panasonic Avionics Corporation, the Panasonic’s market-leading in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems provider, to offer the AeroMobile aircraft technology under the eXPhone brand as an integral part of Panasonic’s IFE systems.  The AeroMobile system uses existing Inmarsat satellite communications systems installed on commercial aircraft, and these will be upgraded at the earliest opportunity to Inmarsat's latest SwiftBroadband service providing further features and capabilities such as GPRS mobile data services

In September 2008, AeroMobile won the “Best Achievement in Technology 2008” award from the World Airline Entertainment Association (WAEA).

More information may be found at www.aeromobile.net

About Dialog Telekom PLC

Dialog Telekom PLC, an ISO 9001 certified company, is a subsidiary of Axiata Group Berhad, formerly TM International. The company operates 2.5G and 3/3.5G Mobile Communications networks supporting the very latest in multimedia and mobile Internet services. Dialog Telekom PLC has the distinction of being the first 3G operator in South Asia to commence commercial operations. Its local coverage spans all provinces of Sri Lanka, while international roaming is provided in over 200 destinations. Dialog Telekom PLC, the largest and fastest growing cellular service in Sri Lanka, serves a subscriber base in excess of 5.5 Million Sri Lankans