Amazon Leo has approached Telecom Regulatory Authority of India requesting recognition of satellite broadband as a qualifying backhaul technology under PM-WANI. The proposal includes access to key spectrum bands, Digital Bharat Nidhi funds, and simplified authentication for rural hotspots, aiming to accelerate internet access where fibre rollout is costly or slow.

Amazon's satellite internet service, Amazon Leo, has formally approached India's Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), asking for satellite broadband to be recognised as a qualifying backhaul technology for public Wi-Fi deployments, including under the government's PM-WANI framework.

What Amazon Leo is asking for

In its response to TRAI's consultation paper on expanding public Wi-Fi, Amazon Leo argued that its low Earth orbit (LEO) network can be more cost-effective than fibre in thinly populated rural regions, and called for satellite backhaul to be more deeply integrated into BharatNet, India's rural broadband programme. This was first reported by Moneycontrol.

The company pointed out that while BharatNet fibre reaches Gram Panchayats, extending connectivity from there to individual villages and community centres remans slow and expensive.