According to a new draft bill of the Department of Telecom, it is proposed to change the definition of over-the-top (OTT) and bring it under telecom licence. This means that internet calling and messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Skype as well as all internet based calling apps will come under license fee. TRAI’s opinion was sought. A DoT official said that DoT is preparing a framework to properly regulate internet calling and messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal, Google Meet and views have been sought from Trai for this. Operators are demanding the government to implement the same-service-equal regulation principle in the industry. Telecom operators say that internet calling and messaging apps should also pay the same license fee as telcos.
Tech News Desk- The Indian Telecom Department has made public the draft of the proposed Indian Telecom Bill 2022. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has sought suggestions from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on the structure of the bill by 20 October. The proposed bill proposes to change the definition of over-the-top (OTT) and bring them under telecom licence. The draft has been released to make the telecom sector globally competitive. Accordingly, it is also possible to decide on spectrum allocation or auction, if required. Also, keeping in mind the interest of the customers, the telecom companies will be stopped from doing arbitrariness. For this, the government can completely remove the fees, fines and other service charges of telecom companies.