Currently, over a billion individuals in India utilize mobile connections, a growth significantly fueled by the increasing availability of inexpensive Android smartphones and the world’s most affordable mobile data plans in recent years.

This level of connectivity would have been difficult to envision just thirty years ago, when India possessed fewer than 2.5 million telephones nationwide. A crucial early initiative that greatly broadened telephone access occurred in the late 1980s.

During that period, the Indian government supported the establishment of public call offices, commonly known as telephone booths, throughout cities and towns. This eliminated the need for individuals to purchase costly telephones or contend with high service fees and bills. People could simply visit a local store, make a call for a minimal charge, and continue on their way.

On Wednesday, India’s cabinet authorized a plan to replicate this successful, decades-old strategy to expand access to Wi-Fi in the world’s second-largest internet market.

Ravi Shankar Prasad, India’s Minister of IT, stated that the government will introduce PM WANI (Prime Minister Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) to “establish a widespread network throughout the country.”

He explained that the neighborhood stores previously functioning as public call offices could now operate as public data offices. To ensure the program’s success, the government will waive any licensing or registration fees.

These public data offices will collaborate with public data aggregators, who will work with both small and large telecommunications companies to leverage their existing optical fiber networks.

R.S. Sharma, former chairman of the Indian telecom regulator TRAI, indicated that the program will “establish millions of compatible Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide and make content distribution and broadband access more affordable for millions.” He compared the initiative to UPI, a payment system developed by retail banks that has become the preferred method for digital transactions in India.

In the last ten years, hundreds of millions of people in India have come online for the first time. However, a similar number remain without internet access. The new government program is designed, in part, to close this digital divide.

“This is anticipated to be more conducive to business and align with efforts to simplify operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the necessity of providing reliable and high-speed Broadband Internet services to a growing number of users, including areas lacking 4G mobile coverage. This can be achieved through the deployment of Public Wi-Fi,” the cabinet explained in a statement. “Furthermore, the expansion of public Wi-Fi will not only generate employment opportunities but also increase disposable income for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs and contribute to the country’s GDP,” it added.

Wednesday’s announcement represents the latest attempt to increase internet access in India. Major global companies, Google and Facebook, both relying on emerging markets like India for continued growth, have previously tried to make internet access more affordable within the country. While Facebook’s “Free Basics” program was discontinued due to concerns about net neutrality, Google voluntarily ended its free Wi-Fi program at 400 railway stations earlier this year.

Caesar Sengupta, VP of Payments and Next Billion Users at Google, explained that as mobile data costs decreased in many markets, including India, Google Station was no longer required.

Jayanth Kolla, chief analyst and founder of consulting firm Convergence Catalyst, commented to TechCrunch that the Indian government should have initiated this program seven to eight years ago.

He noted that the launch of Jio Platforms, which rapidly became India’s largest telecom operator in just four years through its low-cost mobile data plans, has already addressed many of the issues that PM WANI aims to resolve.