India now has over 4 lakh public Wi-Fi hotspots operating under the PM-WANI scheme, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The government programme, which allows local entrepreneurs to set up Wi-Fi access points without obtaining telecom licences, has connected nearly 2.45 crore users since its launch.

The expansion matters for millions of people who lack affordable home broadband but need internet access for work, education and government services. Under PM-WANI, a tea shop owner or a small retailer can become a Public Data Office, a term for any establishment offering Wi-Fi to the public, by simply purchasing equipment and registering on the government portal.

Advertisement

‹

EVENT

Infosec Reimagined

Infosec Reimagined 2026 is the premier information security summit where top leaders—CISOs, CROs, CIOs, CTOs and risk executives—converge to redefine cyber resilience.

📅 Fri, 22 May 2026
📍 Dehradun

Register Now →

EVENT

CIO Prism

CIO Prism unites forward-thinking technology leaders to exchange transformative insights, shape digital strategies, and foster innovation, empowering enterprises to excel in an era of rapid technological change.

📅 Fri, 18 Sep 2026
📍 Goa

Register Now →

›

According to data Scindia provided in his written reply, 4,09,403 Public Data Offices were operational as of 28 February 2026. Users have consumed approximately 58.64 petabytes of data, equivalent to roughly 5,864 crore gigabytes, through these hotspots since the scheme began.

PM-WANI scheme sees Delhi, Maharashtra lead deployment

Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh have emerged as the leading states for hotspot deployment, the minister said. The scheme also has 207 Public Data Office Aggregators, companies that provide backend technology and billing services to hotspot operators, and 113 registered app providers that enable users to discover and connect to nearby hotspots.

The PM-WANI framework operates on what the government describes as a decentralised model. Unlike traditional telecom services that require spectrum allocation and heavy licensing, anyone can set up a hotspot if the business case makes sense for them. The government’s role is limited to setting policy and maintaining the registration system.

This approach aims to solve a persistent problem in Indian broadband, the high cost of last-mile connectivity in areas where large telecom companies see little commercial incentive to invest.

To accelerate growth, particularly in rural and remote areas, the Centre has introduced several policy changes over the past year. Hotspot operators can now use Fibre-to-the-Home connections, the same high-speed lines installed in residential buildings, to provide public Wi-Fi. They can also combine multiple access points on a single backhaul connection to their internet service provider, reducing costs.

On the revenue side, operators have been permitted to offer mobile data offloading services to telecom companies. This means when a mobile network is congested, carriers can route some user traffic through nearby PM-WANI hotspots instead. Aggregators and app providers can now deliver promotional content to users who consent, creating an additional income stream.

Advertisement

The government has also enabled existing home and business Wi-Fi networks to join the PM-WANI system. A household with a spare broadband connection can register as a hotspot and earn from passing users. Roaming between different aggregators is now permitted, so a user registered with one app provider can connect to hotspots managed by another without fresh registration.

TRAI caps wholesale broadband rates for hotspot operators

In a significant regulatory intervention, TRAI issued a tariff order on 16 June 2025 capping the rates internet service providers can charge PM-WANI operators. For retail FTTH broadband plans up to 200 Mbps, providers cannot charge Public Data Offices more than twice the corresponding consumer broadband tariff.

The cap addresses a commercial barrier that had slowed adoption. Without regulation, ISPs could charge hotspot operators significantly higher rates than home users for equivalent speeds, making many rural hotspots financially unviable.

The scheme forms part of the government’s broader push to expand broadband access ahead of its target of connecting all villages with high-speed internet. State and union territory-wise data on hotspot deployment is maintained under the scheme, though the ministry did not release granular figures beyond the top-performing states.