New Delhi: The Department of Telecommunications<\/a> (DoT<\/a>) intends to regulate only over-the-top (OTT<\/a>) communications apps like WhatsApp<\/a>, Signal<\/a>, Google Meet, Facetime and Telegram<\/a> among others and not the ones that offer content and e-commerce services under the proposed telecom bill, officials told ET.
Further, the regulation of OTT communication apps will be done primarily keeping the security perspective in mind and it will not focus on revenue raising measures such as licence fees as the aim is not to hurt growth of the sector, they added.
The officials though added that any kind of two-way communication between an app and its users constitute a telecom service, which may be regulated. For instance, an app will not need a license from DoT, but its customer support operations which involve calls and messages may be regulated.
The DoT is expected to take a call around such situations after the consultation process.
According to DoT officials, the draft telecom bill has been put up for public consultation and it required changes to clarify points of confusion, including definition of ‘OTT communication services’. Apart from OTT, other issues or concerns raised by stakeholders will also be addressed.
Stakeholders can send their comments regarding the bill till October 20.
The draft telecom bill has sparked concerns that non-communication OTT players such as food aggregators and streaming services might be subject to licensing and regulation by the telecom department.
Broad Definition of Telecom Services
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Experts have pointed out that the definition of telecom services in the bill is very broad and could include all internet enabled services.
As per the draft bill, the DoT has enlarged the definition of telecommunication services, bringing OTT communication services under its ambit. In addition, satellite-based communication services, internet and broadband services as well as in-flight and maritime connectivity services are being brought under telecom.
Communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had tried to put the concerns around OTT regulation to rest recently when he clarified that apps that provide communication services would be brought under the telecom law, and not the ones that offer broadcasting services.
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