Relief from expensive recharge! Government will install 5 crore Wi-Fi hotspots, affordable unlimited internet will be available in every area

Image – Ospconsultants

The increasing reliance on mobile internet for connecting laptops, tablets, computers, and smart TVs has highlighted the limitations of mobile data. Broadband services have become essential, especially as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes for digital connectivity across India. However, costly mobile data recharge plans are hindering this goal. To address this, the Modi government has launched a plan to install 5 crore PM-Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide, improving the PM-WANI framework guidelines. This change allows citizens to set up personal Wi-Fi hotspots in their localities.

Currently, mobile data is delivered through mobile towers, but many areas in India have limited tower coverage, leading to poor network access and connectivity issues. The PM-WANI Wi-Fi scheme aims to tackle this by establishing affordable broadband Wi-Fi hotspots, ensuring wider internet coverage at a lower cost than mobile data.

Broadband India Forum (BIF), representing major telecom firms like Meta, Google, Amazon, and TCS, disagrees with telecom companies’ concerns over the scheme. BIF argues that PM-WANI is crucial and will not harm government revenues. In fact, the creation of 5 crore PM-WANI hotspots is expected to generate additional annual revenue of ₹60,000 crore for telecom companies through increased bandwidth sales.

Despite these benefits, telecom giants like Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone-Idea fear potential losses due to the scheme, viewing it as unnecessary. These companies currently dominate internet services in remote areas and believe that the initiative could reduce government revenue.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has amended the PM-WANI guidelines, facilitating roaming between Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOA) and allowing mobile data offloading by PDOs, which will ease network congestion. BIF believes these changes will significantly expand access to affordable internet.

Launched on December 9, 2020, the Pradhan Mantri Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) aimed to broaden broadband services through public Wi-Fi. Dubbed a “Wi-Fi revolution” by the government, it is seen as key to improving wireless connectivity in India. Though its initial implementation has been slow, recent changes are expected to accelerate progress and make the PM-WANI scheme a powerful tool for expanding internet access across the country.