Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea made a strong pitch for regulation of communication OTT players at a meeting with TRAI chief, as per sources. Sources said that TRAI at the meeting also sound out telecoms about the upcoming review of Quality of Service (QoS) norms and regulations around pesky calls (Unsolicited Commercial Communication).
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had schedule a meeting with telecom operators and ISPs to chalk out the agenda for 2023 where players raise multiple issues.
Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal, Vodafone Idea Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer P Balaji, and Reliance Jio board member Mahendra Nahata participate in the discussions.
The meeting was chair by TRAI chief P D Vaghela.
Sources said that telecom operators made a unanimous pitch for ‘same service-same rules’, arguing that OTT players which offer similar services as telcos do, should be regulate on similar lines.
The industry has long demanding a level-playing-field with communications OTTs, emphasising that regulatory conditions and licence treatment must be made uniformly applicable for similarly placed players.
Industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has also emphasising the need to ensure a level-playing field among all technologies, that is Same Service Same Rules with respect to OTT Communication Services so that “fair and healthy” competition prevails in the industry.
In 2022, the telecom operators’ body had even bat for OTT (over-the-top) communication services to directly compensate telcos for data traffic they are driving onto the networks, as it advocate a licensing and light-touch regulation framework for such services.
In November 2022, COAI Director General SP Kochhar had said that the association, as part of the draft telecom bill, has given its suggestions on how OTT communication services should be define to ensure there is no ambiguity.
OTT communication services include the likes of WhatsApp, Signal, Google Meet, Telegram and other similar apps.
While, during the meeting with TRAI, telecom players also sought reduction of levies such as licence fee.
During the meeting, a senior official of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) said that telecom companies should be incentivise to use indegenious equipment, as per sources.
As per sources, TRAI on its part also inform the telecom companies that it will review Quality of Service and UCC regulations.
Incidentally, the telecom regulator is slate to meet telcos on 17th February 2023 to discuss measures and action plan for improving service quality, review of norms, benchmarks for 5G services, and unsolicite commercial communications.
The meeting later this week assumes significance as improvement in telecom service quality is bound to cheer mobile customers, irk by call drops and patchy networks.
It also comes at a time when ultra high-speed 5G services are rolling out across India.
