KOLKATA: The telecom regulator has received strong response from startups keen to participate in a pilot project for setting up a countrywide network of WiFi hotspots through public data offices, or PDOs These’pay-as-you-go’ PDOs will deal in sachet-sized data packs, offering broadband connectivity to price-sensitive consumers at a fraction of the rates on mobile networks.“Trai is overwhelmed with the response received from a number of startup companies for participating in a pilot for a nationwide WiFi network,” said Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Trai ) in a statement on Wednesday.It also unveiled modalities of the open architecture-based WiFi Access Network Interface (WANI) that will form the tech backbone of the proposed network of Wi-Fi hotspots.Last week, Trai had sought participation from companies, app providers and hardware/software providers to become PDOs and help build the Wi-Fi network which is meant to boost data consumption among price-sensitive Indian customers who, typically, ration their mobile data usage.The pilot is aimed at identifying strengths and potential glitches before full-blown implementation. In a separate document outlining the objectives and technical specifications of the open architecture-based WANI backbone, Trai said the vision is to establish a network interface wherein any entity – companies, proprietorships, societies, or non-profit organisations – can easily set up a paid public Wi-Fi access point.It has also suggested that users should be able to do one-click authentication and payment and connect one or more devices in a single session. “Wi-Fi is a complimentary, not a competing technology to LTE (read: 4G). Public hotspots hold an important place in the last mile delivery of broadband to users,” Trai said in its discussion paper on Public Open Wi-Fi Framework.Consistent experience across hotspots, it said, would also entail “unbundling authentication, payment and accounting (elements) from the hardware and software running on WiFi access point.” Such a scenario, the regulator said, would allow small entrepreneurs such as tea shops to set up and maintain Wi-Fi access points.Device makers, payment companies, ISPs, telcos and consumer internet companies, it added, can provide the remaining pieces of setting up PDOs.Last year, Trai had floated a discussion paper that built a strong case for boosting broadband availability through Wi-Fi in public places on the grounds that data tariffs on such systems could be a fraction of the prevailing rates on mobile networks.So much so, the sector regulator had estimated that cost per MB on a WiFi network could be less than 2 paise, or a 10th of the average 23 paise/MB that consumers pay for data on 2G, 3G or 4G mobile networks.