Railtel bets big on PM WANI, becomes a PDOA under public Wi-Fi scheme

The government plan to not just boost `ease of doing business’, but also to spread `ease of living', seems to be gathering momentum.

State-run RailTel Corporation (RailTel) has registered itself as a public data office aggregator (PDOA) with the Ministry of Communication under the government's public Wi-Fi network scheme, PM WANI, a source aware of the development said.

"We believe that the announcement of the PM WANI has made it possible for us to leverage our nationwide network, Wi-Fi experience and collaborative business experience to play a major role in providing paid Wi-Fi services. Unlike other major telecommunication companies, we are not engaged in mobile communication and are not hindered with concerns of Wi-Fi cannibalizing mobile data. We are already registered as a public data office aggregator by the Ministry of Communication," an extract from Railtel's red herring prospectus stated.

As a PDO or public data office aggregator, Railtel will extend Internet and other backend WiFi IT infra support like captive portal, charging and billing, among other services.

As the government attempts to increase wireless broadband connectivity in the country, the Union Cabinet in December 2020 had approved Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM WANI).

COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated delivery of stable and high speed Broadband Internet (data) services to an increasingly large number of subscribers in the country, including areas which do not have 4G mobile coverage. This can be achieved by deployment of Public Wi-Fi, the government said in a press statement.

Under the PM WANI scheme, any entity, be it a small shopkeeper or a grocery store owner, can become a Wi-Fi access point under the scheme.

Under the WANI framework, a public network will be set up by the public data office aggregators (PDOAs) to provide Wi-Fi services through public data offices (PDOs) spread throughout the country. It will help accelerate the expansion of Broadband Internet services through public Wi-Fi networks.

The government will also develop an app to register users and discover WANI-compliant Wi-Fi hotspots in the proximity, displaying the same within the app for accessing the internet service.

While announcing the scheme, the Union Communications Minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad, had said that the public Wi-Fi networks will not attract license or registration fee for providing the broadband.