Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today released a draft Telecommunication Tariff Order on the regulatory framework for the PM-WANI scheme.

The scheme was launched in December 2020 by the Department of Telecommunications to provide affordable and high-speed internet access to the public in rural and remote areas of the country.

TRAI said that, in November 2022, the Department of Telecommunications stated that the proliferation of the PM-WANI scheme is quite limited and far below the targets due to the extremely high cost of internet connectivity charged by Telecom Service Providers.

The Authority said that it is necessary to rationalize the cost of broadband connectivity to accelerate the proliferation of the PM-WANI scheme. The Communications Ministry said that the draft Amendment Order has been placed on TRAI’s website. Stakeholders have been requested to send their written comments by the 6th of next month.