Telcos push for regulating OTT communication apps

Mumbai: Telecom companies have called upon the regulator to bring over-the-top (OTT) communication providers such as WhatsApp, Google’s RCS and Telegram under regulatory licensing or authorisation since they provide similar services to what mobile phone operators offer.

Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have also backed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s proposal to overhaul the existing telecom licensing regime and bring a pan-India single licence, namely Unified Services Authorisation (National), to enable ease of doing business, simplify regulations, cut costs, reduce litigations and much more, in their response to a consultation paper floated by the regulator.