Regulating WhatsApp, Skype, FB Messenger: TRAI To Soon Finalise If OTT Apps Come Under Its Purview

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is hoping to decide if over-the-top (OTT) services like WhatsApp and Skype come under its purview, the New Indian Express reports.

Chairman of TRAI, R S Sharma, in an interview with Press Trust of India (PTI), said, “We will be organising open house discussions soon. And hopefully, by the end of the next month, we should be able to come up with recommendations.”

The telecom authority body, in November 2018, has started consultations over exploring an OTT applications framework overseeing communication services like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Google Duo.

The body was seeking the public opinion of whether the rules for telecom operators need to be enforced on OTT apps. The demand from telecom operators has been pending for a long time.

Recently, WhatsApp and Facebook have come under the eyes of policymakers for issues of data piracy, data breach and fake news. There is an expectation of new regulation or licensing requirement to apply pressure on these platforms.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said that the telecom industry invests in license fee, spectrum, equipment and security system is unequally drawn against the unregulated OTT’s which offer the same services with no regulator cost.

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and the Broadband India Forum (BIF) opposes the COAI’s demand for bringing OTT services under licensing and regulatory’s limits.

The IAMAI says the telecom regulations cannot be extended to OTT apps since there are "technical and business differences" between the apps and the BIF shares the same view.

"OTT providers offer an array of different services that are accessed by users through the data services provided by TSPs (telecom service providers). Thus, the services provided by TSPs, while they enable access to OTT services, are fundamentally different," BIF wrote to TRAI.