Public Wi-Fi must complement India's broadband backbone: BIF urges TRAI
Synopsis
India's mobile-first broadband story is hitting a ceiling — and the Broadband India Forum wants TRAI to formally elevate Public Wi-Fi as a parallel layer. With PM-WANI underperforming on scale, the push is for integration with BharatNet, smart cities and Wi-Fi 6E/7, plus a rethink of municipalities as infrastructure enablers, not gatekeepers.
Key Takeaways
Broadband India Forum welcomed TRAI's move to recognise Public Wi-Fi as a complementary broadband layer on 3 June .
BIF flagged that overreliance on mobile networks alone may not meet India's future digital needs.
It recommended integrating PM-WANI with BharatNet , state fibre networks and smart cities to scale hotspots.
The forum pushed for a national roadmap covering Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 , with domestic manufacturing incentives.
TV Ramachandran , BIF President, urged TSPs and ISPs to treat Public Wi-Fi as a growth opportunity, not competition.
BIF wants municipalities to act as digital infrastructure facilitators rather than just permission-granting bodies.
Policy think-tank Broadband India Forum (BIF) on Wednesday, 3 June backed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for formally recognising Public Wi-Fi as a complementary broadband infrastructure layer, calling it essential for affordable and ubiquitous internet access across the country. Responding to TRAI's consultation paper on the proliferation of public Wi-Fi networks, BIF warned that overreliance on mobile networks alone may fall short of meeting India's future digital ambitions.
Why Public Wi-Fi matters
The forum argued that public Wi-Fi can improve affordability, enhance indoor connectivity, increase spectrum efficiency and offload traffic from congested mobile networks. BIF urged TRAI to recommend a comprehensive national strategy built around infrastructure enablement, ecosystem scale, technology modernisation and user awareness.
Integrating PM-WANI with national assets
BIF recommended integrating the PM-WANI framework with BharatNet, state fibre networks, smart cities and other public digital assets to accelerate hotspot deployment. It also suggested strengthening PM-WANI through a mix of a few Super PDOAs alongside scalable PDOA and App Provider ecosystems capable of aggregating fragmented hotspots into trusted, interoperable and investment-worthy digital platforms.
What industry leaders said
“Public Wi-Fi is one of the most strategic digital public infrastructures with the potential to bridge the digital divide. PM-WANI, which opened India's Public Wi-Fi ecosystem after decades of regulatory restrictions, should be provided a fair and sustained opportunity to achieve scale,” said TV Ramachandran, President, Broadband India Forum. Ramachandran urged an ecosystem where Telecommunication Service Providers (TSPs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) increasingly view Public Wi-Fi not as a competing or isolated connectivity layer, but as a complementary broadband growth opportunity.
Roadmap for next-generation Wi-Fi
The forum called for open interoperability standards covering seamless roaming, authentication and discovery to make Wi-Fi as frictionless as mobile broadband. It also proposed a national roadmap for next-generation technologies including Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, backed by affordable device availability, domestic manufacturing incentives and building-readiness frameworks.
Role of public funding and local bodies
BIF said public funding, where required, should be targeted at market-failure situations, underserved geographies and ecosystem development objectives. The forum also urged stronger participation by municipalities and local bodies as digital infrastructure facilitators, rather than functioning merely as permission-granting authorities. The recommendations now feed into TRAI's broader consultation process on scaling India's public Wi-Fi footprint.
Point of View
And the data backs the BIF's concern — fixed and Wi-Fi penetration remain a fraction of mobile data consumption. PM-WANI, launched in 2020 with much fanfare, has struggled to cross meaningful hotspot scale, hamstrung by patchy PDOA economics and municipal red tape. The real question isn't whether Public Wi-Fi should be a complementary layer — it's whether TSPs, who dominate India's connectivity stack, have any commercial incentive to enable an offload layer that erodes their data ARPU. Without that alignment, even a Wi-Fi 7 roadmap risks staying on paper.
NationPress
20 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Broadband India Forum's position on Public Wi-Fi?
The Broadband India Forum (BIF) has welcomed TRAI's approach of formally recognising Public Wi-Fi as a complementary broadband infrastructure layer. It argues that mobile networks alone cannot meet India's future digital connectivity needs and that Wi-Fi can improve affordability, indoor coverage and spectrum efficiency.
What is PM-WANI and why is it important?
PM-WANI (Prime Minister's Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) is the framework that opened India's Public Wi-Fi ecosystem to large-scale private deployment after decades of regulatory restrictions. BIF says it should be integrated with BharatNet, state fibre networks and smart cities to accelerate hotspot rollout.
What did BIF recommend on next-generation Wi-Fi?
BIF called for a national roadmap covering Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, supported by affordable device availability, domestic manufacturing incentives and building-readiness frameworks. It also pushed for open interoperability standards for seamless roaming and authentication.
How does BIF want local bodies to participate?
BIF has urged municipalities and local bodies to act as digital infrastructure facilitators rather than merely permission-granting authorities. The forum believes active local participation is essential to scaling hotspot deployment in cities and towns.
Why does BIF say mobile networks alone are not enough?
According to BIF, overreliance on mobile networks may be insufficient for India's future digital ambitions because mobile cells face congestion, indoor coverage gaps and spectrum constraints. Public Wi-Fi can offload traffic, improve indoor connectivity and lower the cost of broadband access.
