BIF calls for public Wi-Fi to be recognised as broadband infrastructure

Responding to TRAI’s Consultation Paper on the Proliferation of Public Wi-Fi Networks in India, the Broadband India Forum has called for a fundamental shift in India’s broadband strategy, urging that Public Wi-Fi be formally recognised and anchored as a complementary, distributed, inclusive and affordable broadband infrastructure layer within the country’s overall broadband framework. BIF warmly lauded TRAI’s approach of formally positioning Public Wi-Fi as essential for affordable and ubiquitous broadband access.

In its submission, BIF cautioned that while India has emerged as one of the world’s largest consumers of mobile broadband data, excessive dependence on mobile networks alone may prove insufficient to support the country’s future digital ambitions. Future digital growth will require a more balanced, resilient and inclusive broadband ecosystem — one in which fixed broadband, mobile broadband, satellite connectivity and Public Wi-Fi operate as complementary layers of national digital infrastructure.

BIF noted that the principal barriers to Public Wi-Fi proliferation are not technological or operational, but structural — rooted in the absence of ecosystem alignment, inadequate awareness, fragmented deployment models, insufficient interoperability, weak discoverability, limited participation by local institutions, inadequate fibre backhaul in several areas, and the lack of a coherent policy framework. Public Wi-Fi should therefore no longer be viewed merely as a hotspot deployment programme or a limited entrepreneurial initiative, but as an essential broadband access layer capable of improving affordability, enhancing indoor connectivity, increasing spectrum efficiency, offloading traffic from congested mobile networks and expanding meaningful digital participation across the country.

The Forum has urged TRAI to recommend a comprehensive national strategy for Public Wi-Fi built around four pillars — infrastructure enablement, ecosystem scale, technology modernisation, and user awareness and adoption — and has put forward the following key recommendations:

• Public Wi-Fi deployment should be made as simple and accessible as procuring a standard broadband connection, with commercial establishments, educational institutions, healthcare facilities and transport hubs able to obtain managed services through transparent and standardised retail offerings supported by authorised providers.
• Large-scale and systemic integration of PM-WANI with BharatNet, State Fibre Networks, Smart Cities infrastructure and public digital assets to accelerate hotspot deployment across urban and rural India, with BharatNet-connected institutions, Gram Panchayats, schools, Common Service Centres and healthcare centres serving as anchor locations in rural and underserved regions.
• Development of certified plug-and-play PM-WANI compliant device ecosystems, standardised onboarding processes and simplified deployment frameworks to reduce friction for potential PDOs.
• A seamless, interoperable and user-friendly ecosystem through common discovery platforms, interoperable authentication, roaming arrangements, standardised APIs and modern frameworks such as Passpoint and OpenRoaming — so users experience Public Wi-Fi as a trusted, seamless extension of India’s digital connectivity ecosystem rather than a fragmented collection of disconnected hotspots.
• Launch of a nationwide awareness campaign to educate consumers, businesses, local entrepreneurs and public institutions about the affordability, safety and benefits of Public Wi-Fi, complemented by common branding, hotspot discoverability tools and trust-building initiatives.
• Strengthening PM-WANI through Super PDOAs and scalable PDOA and App Provider ecosystems capable of aggregating fragmented hotspots into trusted, interoperable and investment-worthy digital platforms, supported by diverse monetisation models including subscriptions, roaming packs, venue-sponsored access, advertising-supported connectivity, tourism-linked services, enterprise Wi-Fi and retail-bundled broadband.
• Creation of Public Wi-Fi clusters, corridors and district-level deployment plans, with priority accorded to markets, transport hubs, educational campuses, healthcare institutions, tourism destinations, government facilities and underserved communities.
• Leveraging existing fibre infrastructure of RailTel, PowerGrid, utilities, municipalities, Smart Cities and cable networks, alongside accelerated fibreisation, infrastructure sharing, common ducts and open-access frameworks to reduce deployment costs and improve geographic reach.
• Stronger participation by State Governments, municipalities and Panchayats as digital infrastructure facilitators — harmonising permissions, identifying priority deployment zones, aggregating local demand and integrating Public Wi-Fi into broader digital development programmes — rather than merely as permission-granting or operating authorities.
• Explicit leveraging of Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) to support Public Wi-Fi hotspot infrastructure in rural, semi-urban and underserved areas, with funding frameworks that are outcome-oriented and linked to connectivity, usage, uptime and sustainability metrics rather than deployment numbers alone.
• A national roadmap for next-generation Wi-Fi technologies including Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, supported through affordable device availability, domestic manufacturing incentives via a PLI scheme, building-readiness frameworks and convergence between Wi-Fi, fibre and next-generation mobile networks.

BIF also called for nationally recognised security and trust frameworks, visible trust marks for certified hotspots and adoption of modern security standards, positioning PM-WANI-based Public Wi-Fi as a safe, trusted and regulated digital access platform capable of supporting payments, digital services and enterprise usage.

Commenting on the submission, TV Ramachandran, President, Broadband India Forum, said: “Public Wi-Fi is one of the most strategic digital public infrastructures with the potential to bridge the digital divide. PM-WANI, which opened India’s Public Wi-Fi ecosystem after decades of regulatory restrictions, should be provided a fair and sustained opportunity to achieve scale. For this, it is important to create an ecosystem where TSPs and ISPs increasingly view Public Wi-Fi not as a competing or isolated connectivity layer, but as a complementary broadband growth opportunity which enhances customer experience, supports network efficiency and improves broadband adoption.”

BIF concluded that Public Wi-Fi represents a significant national opportunity to deepen broadband adoption, improve affordability, strengthen digital inclusion, enhance network efficiency and support India’s vision of a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy — and that the regulatory and policy framework must therefore focus on creating an enabling, interoperable, scalable and future-ready Public Wi-Fi ecosystem as a key pillar of India’s broadband future.

CT Bureau