COAI considers it misleading to demand that OTTs be excluded from the Telecommunications Law. | Image: Bloomberg
Telecom operators expect online calling and messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Google Meet and Telegram to comply with the rules in the same way as all service providers, industry body COAI said on Monday.
The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea among others, said it is misleading to demand exclusion of over-the-top (OTT) communication apps from the Telecom Act, 2023 as they are subject to other regulations because several non-sectoral rules also apply to telecom operators.
“COAI wishes to state that ‘Security of the Country’ is of utmost importance and in this regard, all communication service providers including OTT based communication services should adhere to the required country directives just as telecom service providers do,” COAI Director General SP Kochhar said.
He said telecom operators have invested heavily in establishing the infrastructure for lawful interception and monitoring.
“However, despite these investments, unregulated app-based communication services completely bypass this apparatus, posing a major threat to the country’s security,” Kochhar said.
He said the exponential growth of OTT services and unregulated proliferation of communication services are creating a heady mix of security threats, while creating an uneven playing field for regulated and law-abiding service providers.
Kocchar said some argue that OTT communication services should not be subject to the Telecom Act, 2023, arguing that they are already regulated under various legislations such as the IT Act, 2000, the Indian Penal Code, 1860, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the DPDP Act, 2023.
“This argument is completely misleading as the requirement relates exclusively to regulatory oversight of communication services expressly covered under the Telecom Act, 2023. Importantly, TSPs, which are governed by the Telecom Act, are also regulated under all previous legislations as prescribed by Parliament,” Kochhar said.
Telecom operators have been demanding that the government provide a level playing field by applying the same rules to calling and messaging apps as they do to them.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: August 26, 2024 | 21:32 IS
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.