TRAI has published a consultation paper on regulation of OTT services, inviting comments from all stakeholders.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has started preparing a regulatory framework for over-the-top (OTT) communication services, which includes Internet-based communications.
A report in The Hindu said that TRAI has released a consultation paper regarding regulation of OTT services and Net neutrality.
Typical OTT applications include text, voice and video conferencing services and services like Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, Chat On, Snapchat, Instagram, Kik, Google Talk among others.
As most of these applications are available free of charges telecom service providers and Internet Service Providers who have spent a lot in license fees and other infrastructure are sensing a threat from these applications as these apps have a direct impact on their revenue streams.
Consequently TRAI has sought various stakeholders including the industry and individual users to send their comments on the consultation paper posted on its website by April 24, and counter-comments by May 8.
The consultation paper raises questions like whether there is a need to regulate subscription charges for OTT communication services and the steps need be taken by the Government for the regulation of non-communication OTT players.
Source: http://www.computerworld.in/news/trai-mulls-regulatory-framework-for-ott-services
