"Why India's Public Wi-Fi Rollout Under PM-WANI Has Lagged"
PM-WANI
Government framework enabling open, interoperable public Wi-Fi access without a telecom licence
Public Data Office (PDO)
Small retail outlet authorised to sell public Wi-Fi access under PM-WANI
India's Digital India programme was launched to make government services available electronically and expand internet access. It explicitly listed bringing Wi-Fi to villages, schools and public places as one of its goals. Public Wi-Fi is meant to be cheap and shared. It lets anyone buy a small amount of internet wherever they are, much like a prepaid recharge bought in small amounts. Despite this stated goal, India has built only a small number of public hotspots compared to other countries. Yet India leads the world in mobile-data use and digital payments.
A former Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) chairperson proposed the idea of an open, interoperable Wi-Fi access system in 2016. The concept envisioned a single app that could discover the nearest hotspot. It would verify the user and let them pay a few rupees through any digital wallet. This would work regardless of which operator ran that hotspot. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) developed this into a formal framework. TRAI issued a consultation paper in July 2016 and submitted formal recommendations in March 2017. A pilot with about six hundred hotspots across eight entities proved that one-time registration, interoperability and easy payment could work together.
The framework was only approved by the Union Cabinet in December 2020, as PM-WANI (Prime Minister's Wi-Fi Access Network Interface). PM-WANI provides an open architecture with no central gatekeeper. This means anyone can set up or aggregate a Wi-Fi hotspot and sell small amounts of connectivity to the public.
Under PM-WANI, a small retail outlet that sells Wi-Fi access is called a Public Data Office (PDO). Examples include a shop or tea stall. A Public Data Office is a retail point that can offer public Wi-Fi without needing a telecom licence or registration fee. This is similar to how a public call office once let a shopkeeper offer telephone access to an entire neighbourhood. Larger entities called Public Data Office Aggregators can group many PDOs together. They manage their billing and discovery through a common app.
The main problem with this model has been the cost of backhaul. Backhaul means the fibre or bulk internet connection that feeds data to a local Wi-Fi hotspot. …
Which of the following is/are the aim/aims of "Digital India" Plan of the Government of India ?
1.Formation of India's own Internet companies like China did.
2.Establish a policy framework to encourage overseas multinational corporations that collect Big Data to build their large data centres within our national geographical boundaries.
3.Connect many of our villages to the Internet and bring Wi-Fi to many of our schools, public places and major tourist centres.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
With reference to PM-WANI (Prime Minister's Wi-Fi Access Network Interface), consider the following statements:
1.It was approved by the Union Cabinet.
2.A Public Data Office (PDO) under this framework requires a telecom licence to operate.
3.The framework allows interoperable access across Wi-Fi hotspots run by different providers.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A Public Data Office (PDO) under the PM-WANI framework is best described as:
Consider the following pairs of digital/telecom initiatives and their primary year of commencement or approval:
1.BharatNet — 2011
2.PM-WANI — 2020 (Cabinet approval)
3.Digital India programme — 2015
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
BharatNet, the project to connect India's gram panchayats with optical fibre, was begun in which decade, and targets how many gram panchayats?
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