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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.
Daily Mains Question [Q] Examine the need for the application of Wi-Fi Access Network Interface, or WANI to deliver affordable internet access in India. What are the challenges? |
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