NEW DELHI: The open house discussion in the capital on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s consultation paper on “Proliferation of Broadband through Public Wi-Fi Networks” which was earlier slated for 20 December has now been rescheduled for 9 January 2017 to get greater participation in view of the importance attached to public Wi-Fi systems.

The issuance of this paper on 13 July 2016 was followed by reactions and then a workshop in Bengaluru.

Through a set of 12 questions, the Authority had sought to get the opinion of stakeholders including internet and telecom service providers on how best Wi-fi (an acronym for Wireless Fidelity) can grow in the country.

At the outset, the regulator had noted that the growth of Internet penetration in India and realisation of its full potential is closely tied to the proliferation of broadband services. “Broadband” is currently defined to mean a data connection that is able to support interactive services, including Internet access, with the capability of a minimum download speed of 512 kbps. It therefore refers to a means of delivering high-speed Internet access services.

Later, on 16 November, TRAI issued a second paper on model for nation-wide interoperable and scalable wi-fi networks.

Earlier, TRAI had said it realised the importance of public Wi-Fi networks as complementary to existing landline and cellular mobile infrastructure in improving broadband penetration and adoption of Digital India.

Meanwhile, TRAI has also scheduled on 12 January 2017 an open house discussion on internet telephony based on its paper of 22 June 2016 issued after noting that unified IP based backbone and the benefits associated with the converged telecom access scenario has enabled service providers to launch more and more converged services such as Internet Telephony, IPTV, Mobile TV etc. In the Consultation Paper, Trai had also pointed out that use of Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks, including the Internet, continues to grow around the world due to the multitude of applications it supports and particularly due to Voice Over IP (VoIP). IP-based networks are capable of providing real-time services such as voice and video telephony as well as non real-time services such as email and are driven by faster Internet connections, widespread take-up in broadband and the emergence of new technologies.

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Public Wi-Fi: TRAI plans to evolve model, releases paper

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