A few of telecom operators have opposed the government?s proposed project of setting-up Wi-Fi hotspots in about 250,000 gram panchayats.
The operators have written to the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications that the government should utilise the existing telecom infrastructure in these villages instead of creating parallel networks.
The operators claim that for extending telecom services and broadband connectivity to villages, the government should use tested technologies such as 3G and GPRS.
The Wi-Fi connectivity project has been initiated by the Ministry of Rural Development and is estimated to cost Rs 40 billion.
