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Broadband to get cheaper in rural India as TRAI releases new recommendation

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has put forward new recommendations that could help lower the cost of broadband services in rural areas of India. They have suggested that costs for public Wi-Fi service providers, also known as Public Data Offices (PDOs), should not exceed twice the standard rate for home broadband services.

PDOs are essentially businesses that purchase internet bandwidth and then sell it to multiple customers. TRAI believes that making the costs more reasonable for these Wi-Fi providers could help the PM-WANI initiative gain more popularity, especially since it started over four years ago without much progress.

The goal of the PM-WANI framework is to expand internet access by setting up public Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the country. This initiative aims to create a more digitally connected India and provide various benefits to the public.

When PM-WANI was launched five years ago, it aimed to establish 10 million public Wi-Fi hotspots by 2022, with a further goal of 50 million by 2030.

However, TRAI has pointed out that one of the main reasons for the slow growth of these hotspots has been the high costs that telecom companies and internet service providers charge PDOs for internet access.

Overall, PM-WANI aims to ensure that people in rural and underserved areas, as well as in public spaces like train stations, banks, and post offices, have access to fast and affordable internet.

In other news, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has instructed mobile phone companies like Airtel, BSNL, Jio, and Vodafone Idea to quickly introduce a new service called Caller ID Name Presentation (CNAP). This feature, which these companies have been trying out for about a year, will help users see the name of the person calling them. The DoT wants this service available as soon as possible so that everyone can avoid getting tricked by scam calls. IndiaTVNews

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