The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India was most recently oscillating between whether or not to subject OTT communication platforms like Google, WhatsApp and Telegram, under its regulation. However, TRAI has finally announced that the plan will be put on hold for a while.
For now, TRAI is shifting its focus, instead, on expediting the process of satellite spectrum pricing. While the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting reported that any regulation for OTT services will be taken up in the new IT law which is currently under work, all major telecom companies are arguing that OTT communication apps should be regulated under the Telecommunication Act, 2023.
A few days ago, TRAI released a few recommendations on the ‘Framework for Service Authorizations to be Granted Under the Telecommunications Act, 2023’. Several recommendations were issued under this framework to streamline the licensing framework, while excluding major OTT communication apps like Google, Telegram, WhatsApp from new licensing rules.
Moreover, three broad categories of telecommunication service authorizations were proposed: main service, auxiliary service, as well as captive service authorizations. This structure of ‘Unified Service Authorization’ has been introduced to level the field across the country with respect to services and service areas.
This being said, TRAI will continue to explore if OTT apps really need to be regulated under the Telecommunications Act 2023 or not.