PM- WANI is the right tool to achieve the objectives of creating millions of inter-operable Wi-Fi Hotspots in India : Consumer Voice Advisor
It took almost seven years after the internet was first thrown open to the public in 1995 to reach 1 percent of India’s population, and another nine years for this figure to cross 10 percent.
Dec 18, 2020 10:29:50 IST
The Union Cabinet, on 9 December, approved the establishment of public Wi-Fi networks across the country. It was really heartening to see that most of the suggestions given (by the writer of this column) to the TRAI during the consultation process initiated in 2016, were heeded. Public WiFi will be provided through Public Data Offices (PDOs) via a Central government scheme called the Prime Minister’s Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI).
Updated Dec 16, 2020 | 15:04 IST
The next revolution in connectivity necessitates reliable and cheap internet for the masses so that India can leapfrog from the existing digital divide, which has social and economic implications. Representational image | Photo Credit: iStock Images
Key Highlights
It is anticipated that PM-WANI will be business-friendly and complement the government’s ease of doing business initiatives
Besides generating employment, such a public Wi-Fi network will boost disposable incomes of small and medium entrepreneurs
Crucially, there is no license fee for providing broadband internet services
Last week the Union cabinet approved a framework to usher in a “massive Wi-Fi revolution in the country”, in the words of Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, by accelerating the proliferation of broadband internet services via a public Wi-Fi network.
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More details have been revealed about the roll out of public Wi-Fi in India via what is called the PM WANI scheme, which aims to increase the penetration of broadband connectivity across India.
PM WANI stands for Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface. The latest guidelines issued by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) suggest that any entity – from a grocery store to a tea stall – can obtain bandwidth from telecom/internet service providers to open a public Wi-Fi network under the project.
And backhaul shouldn’t be an issue. According to DoT guidelines, “The backhaul requirement for these Wi-Fi access points will be met by procuring internet bandwidth from the telecom service providers/internet service providers.
From a digital India to a digital Bharat
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December 15, 2020 23:27 IST
The PM-WANI project seems to fit within the framework of an evolving decentralised concept to bridge the e-divide
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The PM-WANI project seems to fit within the framework of an evolving decentralised concept to bridge the e-divide
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