T

he transportation and communications and information ministries agreed on Friday to jointly manage the radio frequency allocated for civil aviation communication in a bid to enhance aviation safety in Indonesia.

The agreement was signed by air transportation director general Herry Bhakti S. Gumay and postal instruments and information technology director general Muhammad Budi Setiawan in Jakarta on Friday.

With the cooperation agreement, local carriers would also be allowed to use the radio spectrum to provide Internet and mobile phone services aboard commercial flights in the near future.

A number of airlines, including Lion Air and Garuda Indonesia, have expressed interest in providing in-flight mobile phone services. Lion Air, for example, plans to provide such services in its new full service carrier Batik Air.

'It's an important collaboration as safety always comes first in the aviation sector. The use of an aviation radio spectrum for communication should be regulated and protected to smooth the development of this sector and provide better services to passengers,' Herry said.

He said the Transportation Ministry would monitor the use of the aviation radio frequency and guarantee that non-aviation spectrums would not disrupt the aviation frequency.

They will also report any disruptions to the aviation spectrum to the Communications and Information Ministry and seek technical guidance on using the spectrum.

Meanwhile, the Communications and Information Ministry would be in charge of fixing any disruptions to the aviation radio frequency and shut down illegal users of non-aviation frequencies, particularly community radio stations that did not have licenses from the ministry.

'We will shut down more illegal radio stations that have the potential to jeopardize frequencies used by the airlines. It has always been our aim to close these stations,' Budi said, adding that the aviation frequency was slotted in at 122 to 123 Mega Hertz (MHz).

He could not provide figures on how many illegal radio stations in the country, particularly those located near airports, would be closed down, but he said the number was not large enough for it to become the ministry's regular program.

The ministry's data said there were 11 cases of aviation frequency disruptions in 2011, with most cases occurring in East Java.

However, the number of disrutions had significantly dropped to only one case last year, which took place at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta.

Herry said both ministries would create a new regulation on the use of Internet and mobile phones in flight to prevent possible chaos in the air.