By Chetan Thathoo
Batting for a level-playing field, telecom players have urged the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to regulate over-the-top (OTT) communication apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal.
The development came to pass in a clutch of submissions made by industry bodies to DoT during consultations on a proposed new telecom regulatory framework. According to the Economic Times, the draft Bill is expected to be put in the public domain for feedback in the coming days.
The industry reportedly called for a ‘forward looking’ law that addresses the requirements of the convergence of various digital services – telecommunication, broadcast and OTT communication services.
Training its guns on OTT communication apps, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) noted that the increasing deployment of digital technologies has led to market convergence and ‘intermodal’ competition. The industry body rued that the current scenario has led to OTT applications increasingly offering voice, data, and video services over a single broadband platform with or without spectrum.
Citing blurred lines between broadcasting and telecom networks, the industry representatives sought a converged law for various technologies and platforms.
“We, therefore, submit that the outcome of this consultation process should result in the development of converged law and regulation for telecommunications (both terrestrial and satellite communication), broadcasting and IT and shall also address the legal and regulatory issues related to data privacy and related security issues,” the COAI was quoted as saying.
