Provide limited free data to rural people: TRAI

New Delhi: Telecom regulator Trai on Monday suggested that a “reasonable” amount of free data access should be provided to rural subscribers on monthly basis.

Trai recommended that the money for the scheme could be provided from Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

“In order to bridge the affordability gap for the persons residing in rural areas and to support government's efforts towards cashless economy by incentivising digital means, the authority recommends that a scheme under which a reasonable amount of data say 100 MB per month may be made available to rural subscribers for free,” Trai said. Trai has suggested that the cost of implementation of the scheme may be met from USOF.

Trai felt that since the objective of this proposal is primarily to bring new users within the fold of internet services, it is a fair estimation that a monthly data pack of about 100 MB per user would be reasonable to address the basic digital needs of those users, including carrying out of digital financial transactions. “After the expiry of 100 MB of data in a month on a mobile connection, the free data services will be suspended till the beginning of the following month," said Trai.

It said that scheme will cost of Rs10 per subscriber per month for 100 MB free data.