Public WiFi norms soon

New Delhi: Terming the availability and affordability of broadband as a “prerequisite” for growth of digital transactions, regulator TRAI on Monday said it will finalise in 20-25 days its views on ‘public wifi networks’.

Public wifi networks would offer data connectivity at just 10 per cent of the prevailing data rates.
“We will give our recommendations in 20-25 days. The issue of wifi proliferation is an important one. The basic objective of Digital India is to encourage digital transactions of all kinds. It is therefore important for people to have broadband availability and affordability,” TRAI Chairman R S Sharma said on sidelines of an open house on ‘Proliferation of Broadband through Public Wi-Fi Networks’.

He said that broadband access needs to be ubiquitous, reliable and robust. “These characteristics can be delivered through wifi networks and therefore we are trying to think of ways to bring about seamless grid of wifi network,” Sharma said.

“The wifi networks we are talking about will not be free but they will be affordable. Compared to the data costs right now, it will be just 10 per cent,” he said.

In its consultation paper floated in July last year, TRAI had said that it is estimated that cost per MB in Wi-Fi Network could be less than 2 paise per MB while consumers on an average are paying around 23 paise per MB for the data usage in the cellular network like 2G, 3G and 4G.
The broadband crunch with regard to wired infrastructure will also be addressed through proliferation of community wifi hotspots.

“Implementation is not our mandate. So, we will create such conditions or try to give recommendations that will ensure that these proliferate,” he added.