The Government of India is trying to fulfil the motto of “Digital India” in every manner possible. Everything today is possible digitally, from Unified Payments Interface to Aadhaar seeding, Direct Beneficiary Transfer to government job applications. Urban areas have many options for connecting to the internet. Still, rural areas of the country and the poorer sections of society often find it difficult to access the internet on their devices. Usually, it is due to poor connectivity of mobile services and, other times, unaffordable data packages.
To solve these problems, the Government of India approved the Prime Minister’s Wi-fi Access Network Interface (PM- WANI Full Form) on December 20, 2020. This scheme will help all users access the internet over Wi-Fi quickly and at very reasonable rates. This article discusses the PM-WANI scheme, details, and how to access the internet using this plan.
PM- WANI SCHEME
India is moving into the digital age, and the government wants to ensure all its citizens are a part of this shift. Today, mobile devices are seen in every household, and they are no longer a luxury but an essential item of life. It opens opportunities for jobs, education, health, news, benefits, access to government services, trade, finance, and so much more. The PM-WANI scheme is trying to get Wi-Fi services closer to people, especially in rural areas where network issues are often problematic.
Think of it like the Public Telephone Booths of earlier times, when they were located in every village or nearby clusters, and people could use the phone by putting in a coin or paying as per the STD bill generated. The PM-WANI Scheme is trying to offer similar Wi-Fi services. Anyone can become a Public Data Office(PDO) and offer Wi-fi services to citizens nearby. The PDO provides last-mile Wi-Fi connections like the Telephone Booth, which offers phone calling. Anyone can become a PDO; they do not have to get any license, register, or pay any fees to the Department of Telecommunication.
PM – WANI Scheme Level
The PM-WANI Scheme has four levels.
- Public Data Office (PDO)
- Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA)
- App Provider
- Central Registry
The Public Data Office( PDO) retailer provides broadband Wi-Fi connection at a particular location. It could be anyone who wants to become a PDO, a tea-seller, a stationery shop, a grocery shop, or anyone who wishes to become a PDO. To become a PDO, they must not pay any registration or license fee. They must get broadband from a telecom or internet service provider and maintain a PM-WANI-compliant stack that they can get from a PDOA.
The Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA) is the aggregator that provides a PM-WANI compatible stack to the PDO. They are aggregators, provide accounting and authorisation to PDOs, and help them deliver Wi-Fi connectivity. Only registered companies can become PDOA.
The company has to register on the Saral Sanchar Portal of the Department of Telecommunications.
Details required while registering for PDOA
The following details are to be provided while registering:
- Corporate Identity Number(CIN) of Applicant Company
- Name of Applicant Company
- Complete the postal address (with Telephone and Email) of the Corporate
- Office and Registered Office
- Name of the Authorized Representative (Their designation, telephone
- and email ID)
- A copy of the board resolution authorising the Authorized Representative to apply for the registration
- If FDI (Foreign Equity: Direct + Indirect) in the Indian company
- exceeds 49%, then the copy of the approval of the Government of India.
If the application is approved, the company will get the registration certificate on the Sanchar Portal within seven working days. The company must also register in the Department of Telecommunications Central Registry by providing the following details;
- Companies should provide the Registration Number (obtained from Saral Sanchar).
- Mobile number and email ID of Authorized Contact Person (Same as given in Saral
- Sanchar).
- Password.
Registration in the Central Registry occurs almost instantaneously once the OTP is confirmed.
3. App Provider
The App Provider is the company that makes an App for the PM-WANI scheme. They will develop an app that users can download to find the location of the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot. The App will also authenticate the users.
- The company has to register itself first on the Saral Sanchar portal.
- Submit all details and documents (Same as for PDOA given above).
- They will receive the registration within seven days on the Saral Sanchar Portal.
- Register with the Central Registry of the Department of Telecommunications.
- Submit all details (Same as for PDOA given above).
- Registration is instantaneous with confirmation of the OTP.
This registry maintains records of all entities in the PM-WANI Scheme, such as PDOs, PDOA, and App providers. The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) maintains this registry.
The user has to download one of the PM-WANI apps maintained by the App Providers. They can visit https://pmwani.gov.in/wani and click on App Links. Download an app. Users have to authenticate themselves on the app, which will show public hotspots near them.
The user can pay online or via a voucher to create a balance and log in to the Wi-Fi network for the time he has paid. The plans start as low as Rs.6 for one GB/ day so that people of all socioeconomic backgrounds can easily access it.
The benefits of the PM-WANI scheme are as follows;
- Provide better internet connectivity where mobile connections are weak.
- It is cheaper than regular telecom data plans, as it focuses only on data
- It can be used without a SIM card so that younger students can use it for educational purposes.
- It will help to generate additional income for the PDOs.
- It will increase access to information about jobs, weather for farming purposes, and online applications for various facilities.
- INR 6 VALIDITY 1-day DATA 1GB
- INR 9 VALIDITY 2-day DATA 2 GB
- INR 18 VALIDITY 3-day DATA 5 GB
- INR 25 VALIDITY 7-day DATA 20 GB
- INR 49 VALIDITY 14-day DATA 40 GB
- INR 99 VALIDITY 30-day DATA 100 GB
| Amount | INR 23,600 | INR 11,800 |
| User | 500 | 150 |
| Range | 300Meter | 150Meter |
| Speed | 20 Mbps | 20 Mbps |
| Range degree | 120 | 120 |
The PM-WANI scheme is an essential initiative of the government to
increase the reach of the Internet in all areas and among all strata of
people in the country. India is the first country to develop all the
foundations that make up the Digital Public Infrastructure. Still, this
effort will only be complete when the entire population can be a part of
it. Mobile and data penetration in the country is relatively high, but
connectivity still poses a problem. With this scheme, the government
hopes internet connectivity will improve at the grassroots level.
