PM-WANI: Ration shops in Lucknow, Kanpur & 8 other UP districts to soon offer Wi-Fi services

People in Uttar Pradesh will soon be able to use Wi-Fi at the nearest ration shops! Under the ambit of the PM-WANI programme, ration shops in Lucknow, Kanpur & 8 other UP districts are likely to become Public Data Offices (PDOs). These PDOs will cater to the needs of high-speed internet services within 200 metres at a nominal monthly subscription.

Reportedly, this pilot project will be rolled out in 10 districts of Uttar Pradesh in the first phase. This includes Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Agra, Varanasi and Ayodhya.

To facilitate ease of doing business and encourage local shops and small establishments to become Wi-Fi providers, the administration has revoked the need to own a license. Moreover, the last-mile Wi-Fi providers will also be exempted from paying any kind of fees to the Department of Telecommunication.

These Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs) only need to register for this service which will be completed within 7 working days from the receipt of application.

The kotedars interested in this programme can install the setup at a cost of ₹20,000 and apply for the modem via online or offline mode. Post the approval from the authorities, the service providers will be able to offer Wi-Fi services to the masses.

An initiative of the Department of Telecom, Government of India, the ambitious Prime Minister’s Wi-Fi Access Network Interface (PM-WANI) programme aims to connect all silo Wi-Fi networks enhancing the ease of use and increase the broadband usage for the masses.

Taking forward the goal of the National Digital Communications Policy, 2018 (NDCP), this framework is mapped out to create a robust digital communications infrastructure in India. The administration plans to do so by setting up Public Wi-Fi Hotspots across the country.

Under the PM-WANI scheme, Public Data Office (PDOs) will be setup in each ward or a cluster of wards, which will be tasked to establish, maintain, and operate only WANI compliant Wi-Fi Access Points and deliver broadband.

To manage these offices, Public Data Office Aggregators (PDOAs) will be tasked to aggregate offfices and perform the functions relating to Authorization and Accounting.

App Provider will develop an Application to allow user to register and navigate WANI Wi-Fi hotspots in the nearby area and display the
same within the App for accessing the internet service.