Trai issues consultation paper on public Wi-Fi networks

Trai has sought comments from stakeholders on the regulations and licensing policy decisions needed to encourage the proliferation of ubiquitous city wide public Wi-Fi networks, as well as such networks to extend last mile connectivity to hard to reach and rural areas. The introduction of such public Wi-Fi networks would ease pressure on the telecom service providers and open up the spectrum to provide richer services. However, deployment of such large scale networks could create honeypots where the data of all the users on the network are under risk of being intercepted by others on the network. Public Call Offices (PCOs) may be disappearing, but Trai has suggested that these be replaced by Wi-Fi hotspots. The idea here is a business model where local shopkeepers or unemployed youth can set up a business, as well as provide connectivity by introducing Wi-Fi access spots. These spots can be used to deliver internet services directly to the consumer, as well as to boost the capacity of backhaul networks. The data from wired and wireless broadband service providers is funneled through backhaul networks to reach the National backbone. Google has been working with the Government’s RailTel to provide Wi-Fi connectivity at railway stations  across the country. These projects are laying the groundwork for setting up the infrastructure needed to run smart cities, connect to the internet of things (IoT) and to link up vehicles to the internet. There is an opportunity here to use technologies developed by Facebook, including OpenCellular and Terragraph . The rollout of these new technologies will have to comply with Trai regulations, and the principles of net neutrality.