After pitching for 'Same Service, Same Rules' for parity with OTT (over-the-top) communication services, the telecom industry is now set to propose that the OTT platforms should also contribute towards the creation of digital infrastructure or e-infra of the country.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents India’s leading telecom operators, will also suggest some definitions for OTT communications platforms, reports Economic Times quoting COAI's draft submission.
The draft submission is a part of the consultation process on the draft law.
The COAI had made a strong pitch for 'same service, same rules' for parity for the OTT communication services, saying that a level playing field needs to be maintained for all technologies.
Earlier, COAI had also said that OTT communication platforms need to be brought under the telecom licensing regime. The body has been very concerned about the uneven playing field that exists as the platforms offer the same kind of services that the telecom operators do, but they don't have to comply with the licensing norms, nor do they have to pay licensing fees.
The govt wants the OTT platforms to also do KYC (Know Your Customer) verification to ensure that safety in the platform is maintained.
OTT communication apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal have enjoyed the benefit of offering voice, video and text-based services to their users but have never been put under a licensing regime like the telecom operators.
Moneycontrol reported on October 25 that the industry body representing big tech names such as Meta, Apple, Alphabet and Amazon has opposed the draft Indian Telecommunications Bill, stating that provisions of the bill can now force messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Signal to break encryption and disclose messages to the government in response to surveillance orders.
The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) said this last week in their comments on the draft telecom bill to Ashwini Vaishnaw, minister of communications, and urged the government to keep OTT service providers such as WhatsApp and Signal out of the ambit of the bill, and also to “reconsider the Draft Bill in its entirety”.
The representation read, “OTT communication service providers such as WhatsApp, Signal etc., which practise the privacy-protecting process of End-to-End encryption (E2EE), may now also be required to not transmit, or intercept or detain or disclose any message or class of messages to the officer specified in the surveillance request/order.”
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