The telecom regulator will proceed with open house discussions on the regulatory mechanism for OTT communication services, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Chief, Anil Kumar Lahoti said while also announcing plans to initiate consultation to tighten norms for pesky calls and messages soon.
As per reports, at a symposium on ‘Strengthening Atmanirbhar: Securing Domestic Industry and Technology’, Lahoti highlighted that the revival course of Vodafone Idea (VIL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) is positive for India given that the continued presence of four players in the Indian telecom market will ensure competition and, in turn, benefit consumers and health of the industry.
Speaking about TRAI’s consultation paper on OTT communication (services like WhatsApp and Signal) in the wake of the advent of the Telecom Act, Lahoti stated that TRAI will continue with the plan to hold open house discussions in “around three months or so”.
“I know, we have an ongoing consultation on OTT communication. It is just that in the last few months we are burning the midnight oil, clearing the number of references pending with us, and OTT communication is also in the line,” he added.
On whether the Telecom Act has made the OTT communication consultation paper irrelevant, Lahoti rejected the idea, stating, “No, it is not like that.”
“The OTT consultation was initiated after the recommendation of a Parliamentary Committee so this consultation will be completed, and we will give our recommendation… which Act it becomes a part of and which ministry, or which regulator deals with it, is a separate matter,” he said.
TRAI is dealing with OTT communication as a subject, he stated.
TRAI has acknowledged the problem of pesky and unsolicited commercial calls and messages, known as Unsolicited Commercial Communications. To address this issue, they plan to release a consultation paper next month to “significantly revise regulation,” he mentioned.
“We will be revising the regulations and will tighten the mechanism, to clamp down on calls being made from normal 10-digit numbers and (will also address) other forms of misuse,” Lahoti added.
Furthermore, he said that the Consumer Affairs Ministry is also working on the issue of tackling unsolicited communications.
