Trai proposes to cut broadband charges for public wifi service providers

Telecom regulator Trai on Friday proposed to bring down broadband connection charges for public data offices, which provide public wifi services, at par with retail users, as the number of public wifi spots in the country is far below the target number envisaged by the government.

In the explanatory note of draft Telecommunication Tariff (Seventh Amendment) Order, 2024, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) found that the annual tariff of a 100 mbps of internet leased line tariff are 40-80 times more than 100 mbps of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband connection for retail users.

Trai said it is of the view that public data offices (PDOs), specifically the small-scale units like local shops, retailers, generally have low revenue potential and they neither need an ILL connection nor they can afford high backhaul rates which are applicable for large commercial entities.

"The authority proposes that for the purpose of providing PM-WANI (Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) scheme