Wi-Fi to remain ‘indisputable' foundation of India's digital future, says Aruna Sundararajan

Time of India

24-06-2025

NEW DELHI: Wi-Fi technologies are the 'silent powerhouse' of the digital ecosystem and will remain the 'indisputable' foundation of the country's
digital future
despite the disruption brought by the fifth-generation (5G) networks, according to the
Broadband India Forum
(BIF).
'Wi-Fi networks are crucial because they constitute the silent yet incredibly powerful workhouse of the digital ecosystem. Nearly 80% of all data today is consumed indoors, while higher frequencies involved in 5G networks can offer high speeds, they often struggle to penetrate materials,'
Aruna Sundararajan
, chairperson of BIF, and former secretary,
Department of Telecommunications
(DoT), said at the World Wi-Fi Day event organised by BIF Tuesday.
'No matter what the user profile is, we know that without Wi-Fi, it is not possible to grow the digital ecosystem,' she added.
Sundararajan said there are tremendous opportunities in
public Wi-Fi hotspots
, noting that the
Bharat 6G Vision
document envisages the deployment of 50 million Wi-Fi hotspots by 2030.
The Central government, in December 2020, had launched its ambitious
PM-WANI initiative
to boost the penetration of public Wi-Fi hotspots in the country, and drive affordable access to the internet in rural and urban regions. However, the progress of deployment of PM-WANI-compliant hotspots has been mired by challenges, including high backhaul costs and a lack of monetisation opportunities.
There are currently 333,294 PM-WANI hotspots available in India, according to the latest data from the central registry.
She said that recent government decisions to proliferate Wi-Fi hotspots, including capping of broadband connectivity costs of public Wi-Fi service providers at double the rates of home broadband services, will advance innovation-led affordable and inclusive connectivity nationwide.
READ MORE | Delicensing lower 6GHz for Wi-Fi a 'necessity', industry should produce affordable devices: Jyotiraditya Scindia
'These key policy interventions together represent a major inflection point in India's Wi-Fi journey, and they signal that the government of India is ambitious of providing inclusive and affordable broadband access to every Indian,' the former telecom secretary said, urging the ecosystem to work with the government in realising its ambitious Wi-Fi penetration targets.
She said the delicensing of the lower 6GHz band will enable the launch of a host of new Wi-Fi technologies, including Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7.
'Wi-Fi 7 in particular holds great promise to become a core provider of
affordable Internet access
across our nation…we believe that this step of the ministry would enable businesses, educational institutions and users in residential and office spaces to access high-speed wireless internet and ultra-reliable networks, which remain the indisputable foundation of a country's digital future,' Sundararajan said.