Internet from a Sachet 

Syllabus: GS2/ Government Policies & Interventions

In Context

• Digital connectivity is a sine qua non for everything digital in today’s world. 

India’s digital connectivity landscape

• The connectivity landscape has been transformed in the last seven years in India due to multiple factors like 
  • The boom in mobile telephony (a billion-plus mobile connections), 
  • 4G coverage, 
  • A significant reduction in tariffs (from Rs 300 per GB to a mere Rs 7 per GB).
  • Increased smartphone penetration.
  • Enabling policies like Net Neutrality and the country’s focus on building Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) — particularly digital ID and UPI — have further contributed to the increase in digital transactions across domains.

About the Digital India programme 

• Vision: Government launched the Digital India programme with the vision of transforming India into a digitally empowered society and a knowledge-based economy, by ensuring 
  • digital access, 
  • digital inclusion, 
  • digital empowerment and 
  • bridging the digital divide. 
• The programme is centred on three key vision areas: 
  • Digital infrastructure as a core utility to every citizen, 
  • Governance and services on demand, and 
  • Digital empowerment of citizens. 
• Goal: The overall goal is to ensure that 
  • Digital technologies improve the life of every citizen, 
  • Expand India’s digital economy, and 
  • Create investment and employment opportunities and 
  • Create digital technological capabilities in India.
• Outcomes of the programme:
  • Digital India has considerably reduced the distance between Government and citizens. 
  • It has also helped in delivery of substantial services directly to the beneficiary in a transparent and corruption free manner. 
  • In the process, India has emerged as one of the pre-eminent nations of the world to use technology to transform the lives of its citizens.

Issue of Data Demand & Gaps

• This growth has been accompanied by a huge surge in data demand. Video is now the major data-guzzling medium. 
• India’s per capita data consumption is a whopping 19.5 GB per month.
• The total data volume transported by mobile networks of India is more than the mobile networks of the US and China combined.
  • This means that today, even a child requires five to six gigabytes of data for online classes and other educational requirements. 
• Thus, the gap between demand and affordable supply remains wide, especially for poor households and rural India.

Possible way to bridge the Data supply gaps – PM-WANI

• About Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (WANI):
  • The creation of inter-operable public wi-fi hotspots was one such idea proposed by the Telecom Regulator of India (TRAI) in 2017. 
  • Similar in concept to the PCOs of the past, it proposed to create millions of interoperable wi-fi hotspots, Public Data Offices (PDOs), for the last mile distribution of broadband to the common people in sachet-sized packages of Rs 5 to 10. 
    • This system can provide community content without using the bandwidth. 
  • The idea was successfully piloted as the Wi-Fi Access Network Interface, or WANI.
• Significance of PM-WANI:
  • This framework offers a compelling business opportunity for aggregators as it allows unbundling of internet distribution at the last mile, eliminating the need for additional licensing fees. 
  • It provides a robust foundation for delivering affordable internet access to a significant portion of society. 
  • PM-WANI can also nurture the growth of local nano entrepreneurs throughout the country. 
    • These last-mile providers (PDOs) can be found in small shops, local establishments, and even households. 
    • They establish wi-fi hotspots and offer internet access to other users, enabling them to augment their monthly earnings while promoting internet usage through affordable sachet plans.
• Sachet internet:
  • In the last year alone, more than 1.5 lakh wi-fi hotspots have been installed by PDOAs and more than a million people are getting unlimited Internet daily by paying just Rs 5 to 10. 
  • Students are buying this sachet internet instead of a packet of chips or soft drinks from their pocket money.

Challenges 

• Availability of connectivity:
  • One of the arguments against PM-WANI is that data is now so cheap and everyone has 4G connectivity — there is no business case for wi-fi hotspots. This, as we have seen, is an oversimplification.
• Need of legal mandate:
  • Except for Aadhaar (prompted by litigation), none of the pre existing platforms [like Aarogya Setu, CoWIN or even Government E-Marketplace (GEM)] has a legal definition of their functions, roles and responsibilities from an Act of Parliament. 
• Data collection & breach:
  • One of the common aspects of all such platforms is them being data guzzlers where personal information is gathered from Indians that goes beyond the technical requirements. 
  • This only results in multiple individual and social harms, including data breaches.

Way ahead

• PM-WANI presents a golden opportunity to accelerate high-speed unlimited internet penetration, bridging the digital divide and empowering communities.
• PM-WANI needs to be promoted by all stakeholders — governments, civil society, and startups. 
• This Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is uniquely Indian in its approach to interoperability, openness, and scalability. It will hopefully accelerate like UPI or other DPIs.