The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has released a consultation paper on Monday, inviting stakeholder feedback to revive and scale up public Wi-Fi deployment across the country. According to reports from The Times of India, ETTelecom, and Hindusthan Samachar, this regulatory move signals a renewed policy push to strengthen affordable internet access in India, marking the Centre's renewed push to drive mass availability of internet broadband to the masses after the roll-out of the Prime Minister's Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) scheme in December 2020. TRAI has set a deadline of May 25, 2026, for receiving written suggestions from stakeholders, with replies to comments due by June 8, 2026, as part of its accelerated effort to roll out Wi-Fi infrastructure nationwide. The consultation paper comes at a time when public Wi-Fi is increasingly being seen as a key enabler of affordable internet access and digital inclusion, complementing mobile broadband networks.
As reported by ETTelecom, Trai identified that India's current public Wi-Fi ecosystem remains fragmented and limited in scale, falling short of becoming a widely accessible connectivity layer despite government initiatives. The regulatory authority notes that "the overall ecosystem in India remains fragmented and limited in scale, and cannot yet be regarded as a mature or ubiquitous public connectivity framework." Despite ambitious initiatives such as BharatNet and fibre deployments, limited last-mile connectivity and low consumer awareness have impeded progress. The authority also highlighted that some initiatives have faced operational challenges related to maintenance, service quality, and long-term sustainability after the initial rollout phase. According to Hindusthan Samachar, the paper includes a comparative look at public Wi-Fi systems in other countries, an assessment of the current status in India, trends in deployment, and analysis of demand patterns in urban centres, high-traffic locations and rural areas. The consultation focuses on building viable and scalable models by clearly defining the roles of stakeholders, including the Central and state governments, local bodies, telecom service providers (TSPs), internet service providers (ISPs), and private players, especially for deployment across rural regions, urban centres, and high-footfall public spaces.
According to the consultation paper released by Trai, the initiative outlines roles of multiple stakeholders in developing viable public Wi-Fi models. As reported by ETTelecom, Trai has sought comments on key issues and challenges impacting public Wi-Fi proliferation in the country; analysis of roles of the central and state governments, local bodies, telcos and ISPs, and private entities for developing public Wi-Fi models across rural areas and urban centres; issues relating to authorisation, authentication, roaming, and billing systems; as well as, potential direct and indirect revenue models suitable for ensuring the sustainability of public Wi-Fi. The comprehensive approach reflects the regulatory authority's commitment to involving all relevant parties in the development of a more robust public Wi-Fi infrastructure framework. Hindusthan Samachar reports that TRAI is also inviting views on the roles that central and state governments, local bodies, telecom service providers, and private entities can play in developing a viable public Wi-Fi model nationwide. The regulator has also sought views on critical operational issues such as authorisation norms, user authentication mechanisms, seamless roaming between networks, and billing frameworks, areas seen as essential to improving user experience and network interoperability.
Latest data from ETTelecom shows significant progress in public Wi-Fi deployment since PM-WANI's launch. As of April 2026, PM-WANI has deployed 4.1 lakh public Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide, while telecom operators and internet service providers provided 55,483 Wi-Fi hotspots as of December 2025, accounting for 1.59 lakh access points nationwide. Additionally, public sector firm RailTel has deployed public Wi-Fi services under "RailWire" at over 6,115 railway stations. However, affordable mobile data packs and internet broadband plans, combined with interoperability-related issues and a fragmented ecosystem, have largely diminished the use case for public Wi-Fi in the country. According to Hindusthan Samachar, the paper examines issues related to authorisation, certification, roaming and billing systems, and evaluates revenue-sharing models to ensure that public Wi-Fi can be both large-scale and financially sustainable. The consultation paper reviews the existing regulatory framework and flags key bottlenecks slowing the expansion of public Wi-Fi, particularly in rural and underserved areas, even as data consumption continues to rise rapidly.
By contrast, as noted by ETTelecom, Trai highlighted that globally, viable models have been successfully deployed that have helped in the proliferation of Wi-Fi significantly, such as in South Korea, the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK), Singapore, etc. The sector watchdog emphasized that "the current public Wi-Fi ecosystem in India and its proliferation challenges underline the need for measures to expand it and explore ways based on experience from global trends to realise national connectivity goals." With targeted interventions to strengthen backhaul, streamline implementation, and support local adoption, Public Wi-Fi can serve as a scalable and affordable access layer for advancing digital inclusion, service delivery, and broader digital transformation objectives. Hindusthan Samachar reports that By opening this consultation, TRAI aims to create a clear, future-ready policy roadmap that will help bridge the digital divide and provide affordable, reliable internet access to more Indians through public Wi-Fi networks. The consultation paper examines global best practices and international deployment models to draw lessons for India, while assessing the current status of public Wi-Fi rollout, including demand trends and infrastructure gaps.
