TRAI seeks views to regulate net-based calling, messaging apps

NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( Trai) on Friday started a consultation process on whether over-the-top (OTT) services, or apps, should be brought under a licensing regime, and asked stakeholders to send in suggestions by April 24. “Worldwide, there is an ongoing debate among governments, industry and consumers regarding regulations of OTT services and netneutrality.

In this background, Trai released a consultation paper on regulatory framework for OTT services,” said Trai Secretary Sudhir Gupta. The Indian government has backed the concept of net neutrality. Trai has given examples of France which have mandated internetbased calling OTT services (VoIP) service providers to be licensed before offering voice services.

However, it noted that in India, mobile phone users prefer using their service providers to apps owing to the low tariff rates, hence calling apps weren’t yet eating much into the revenue or the business model of Indian telecom service providers.

to a number of questions on whether there was at all a need to regulate OTT players in India, given that internet penetration was too low. It asked that if needed, how to regulate the space. Counter-arguments need to be submitted by May 8.