Broad definitions in Telecom Act pit telcos and OTTs against each other yet again

A war over interpretation of what a telecommunication service is under the new Telecommunication Act has broken out between telecom operators and social media companies, with the former arguing that over-the-top (OTT) communications platforms like WhatsApp and Google Meet are indeed covered under the definition of a telecom service.

This points to the vague manner in which telecom services have been defined under the Act, and despite the government’s clarification to the media earlier that OTTs don’t fall under the definition, experts believe media statements do not have the same sanctity as the legal word – and see this as the key reason behind this new divergence in the interpretation.