Malayalam film ‘Amma Ariyan’s restored version screened at Cannes 
Netflix unveils global ads expansion, new content slate at Upfront ’26 
Saif Ali Khan says instinctively drawn to gripping ‘Kartavya’ 
Netflix effect on global economy: $325bn+ in 10 years; India a major mkt 
Reliance Jio prepares for mega IPO; seeks regulatory nods 
‘The Boys Finale’ theories take over Internet ahead of final episode 
Dharma plans affordable ticket pricing for ‘Chand Mera Dil’ release 
Makers of ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ reject copy allegations 
Fahadh Faasil joins Prem Kumar’s next film 
Rubina Dilaik hosts reality show ‘The Ward’ 
More than 4.09 lakh public Wi-Fi hotspots have been made operational across the country under the Prime Minister’s Wi-Fi Access Network Interface or PM-WANI scheme, the government informed the Rajya Sabha yesterday.
In a written reply to a query from a fellow parliamentarian, Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said a total of 4,09,403 public data offices (PDOs) are currently functional, along with 207 PDO aggregators and 113 app providers registered under the framework as of February 28, 2026.
The minister said nearly 2.44 crore or 24.4 million users have accessed PM-WANI hotspots so far, consuming about 58.64 petabytes of data, indicating growing adoption of public Wi-Fi services nationwide.
The Minister, according to a release put out by the government’s PR division Press Information Bureau, added that States such as Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh are among the leading contributors in deploying Wi-Fi hotspots under the scheme.
Scindia said the PM-WANI framework follows a decentralised and market-driven model aimed at encouraging local entrepreneurs to set up and operate public Wi-Fi hotspots based on techno-commercial viability, with the government playing an enabling policy role. To accelerate expansion, especially in rural and remote areas, the government has introduced several measures, including allowing PDOs to use fibre-to-the-home connections and aggregate multiple access points to a single backhaul.
The Minister elaborated that revenue opportunities have also been enhanced by permitting PDOs to offer mobile data offloading to telecom service providers, while aggregators and app providers can deliver promotional and branded content to users with consent.
He further noted that user experience improvements include integration of existing home and business Wi-Fi networks into the PM-WANI ecosystem and enabling roaming across different hotspots. Additionally, a tariff order by TRAI mandates that internet service providers offer retail fibre-to-the-home broadband plans up to 200 Mbps to PDOs at tariffs capped at twice the consumer rate to improve affordability.
