{"id":260821,"date":"2023-09-19T20:09:29","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T14:39:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=260821"},"modified":"2023-09-19T20:09:29","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T14:39:29","slug":"r-s-sharma-on-pm-wanis-potential-to-transform-indias-digital-public-infrastructure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/r-s-sharma-on-pm-wanis-potential-to-transform-indias-digital-public-infrastructure\/","title":{"rendered":"R S Sharma on PM-WANI\u2019s potential to transform India\u2019s digital public infrastructure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Source<\/strong>– The post is based on the article \u201cR S Sharma on PM-WANI\u2019s potential to transform India\u2019s digital public infrastructure\u201d <\/strong>published in \u201cThe Indian Express\u201d <\/strong>on 19th September 2023<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Syllabus: <\/strong>GS3- Infrastructure \u2013 Digital Infrastructure<\/p>\n

News<\/strong>– The article explains the PM-WANI scheme of Indian government<\/p>\n

How has the state of connectivity has undergone a significant transformation over the past seven years? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

There is proliferation of mobile phones<\/strong>, extensive 4G network coverage,<\/strong> substantial reduction in pricing, and the widespread adoption of smartphones. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Supportive policies like Net Neutrality<\/strong> and the emphasis on developing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI<\/strong>) have also played a crucial role in advancing the Digital India initiative<\/strong>. It has led to a substantial rise in digital transactions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are the challenges for connectivity in India?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This expansion has also given rise to a substantial increase in data requirements<\/strong>. Presently, the average data consumption<\/strong> per person in India is 19.5 GB per month.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The total data traffic<\/strong> handled by mobile networks surpasses the combined data usage<\/strong> of the mobile networks in the United States and China.<\/p>\n

Consequently, there exists a significant disparity<\/strong> between the demand for data and its affordability.<\/strong> It is particularly among low-income households and rural areas in India.<\/p>\n

What are some facts about PM-WANI?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In a concept like the PCOs of the past.<\/strong> It establishes millions of interoperable Wi-Fi hotspots <\/strong>known as Public Data Offices (PDOs). <\/strong><\/p>\n

These PDOs would serve as shared infrastructure <\/strong>for delivering last-mile broadband connectivity<\/strong> in affordable packages<\/strong> costing between Rs 5 and Rs 10.<\/p>\n

The idea was successfully tested and presented to the Department of Telecom (DOT) as Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (WANI)<\/strong> in March 2017.<\/p>\n

In December 2020, PM-WANI was approved. It eliminated the need for licences or permit<\/strong>s to commence operations. COVID-19 pandemic<\/strong> halted progress. Now, the operators, known as Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs),<\/strong> have resumed their work.<\/p>\n

In the past year alone, more than 150,000 Wi-Fi hotspots<\/strong> have been installed by PDOAs.<\/p>\n

There has been the introduction of various entities such as PDO, PDOA, app providers, and a central registr<\/strong>y. Thus, an open and scalable framework<\/strong> has been established.<\/p>\n

What is the potential of PM-WANI?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This framework creates business opportunities for aggregator<\/strong>s. It allows for the unbundling of internet distribution<\/strong> at the last mile without the need for additional licensing fees. <\/strong><\/p>\n

It lays a strong foundation for delivering affordable internet access<\/strong> to a significant portion of society.<\/p>\n

Currently, India has one of the lowest home broadband penetration<\/strong> rates globally. PM-WANI offers a golden opportunity <\/strong>to accelerate the penetration of high-speed unlimited internet and<\/strong> bridge the digital divide.<\/strong><\/p>\n

PM-WANI also fosters the growth of local micro-entrepreneurs<\/strong>. These local service providers,<\/strong> operating from small shops, neighbourhood businesses, and even households, can supplement their monthly incomes.<\/p>\n

It benefits ISPs and telecommunications companies<\/strong> as they can sell more bandwidth<\/strong> by transforming their end customers into retailers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Source– The post is based on the article \u201cR S Sharma on PM-WANI\u2019s potential to transform India\u2019s digital public infrastructure\u201d published in \u201cThe Indian Express\u201d on 19th September 2023. Syllabus: GS3- Infrastructure \u2013 Digital Infrastructure News– The article explains the PM-WANI scheme of Indian government How has the state of connectivity has undergone a significant… Continue reading R S Sharma on PM-WANI\u2019s potential to transform India\u2019s digital public infrastructure<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10320,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230,9],"tags":[216,8184],"class_list":["post-260821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","category-public","tag-gs-paper-3","tag-indian-economy","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10320"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260821\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}