In this report, we outline what streaming services ZEE5, ALTBalaji and STAR India said about TRAI’s public consultation on the regulation of OTT services. OTT Service Providers are abbreviated to only OTTs in the report. Some of these points have been edited and paraphrased. Note: STAR India's responses are at the bottom, since it chose not to answer all questions individually. Read what telcos and Indian internet companies said. * Q1: Which service(s) when provided by the OTT service provider(s) should be regarded as the same or similar to service(s)being provided by the TSPs. Please list all such OTT services with descriptions comparing it with services being provided by TSPs. ZEE5 OTTs are distinct from network providers like TSPs and ISPs, though some of the services by OTTs such as VoIP, video calls, text messaging, etc may overlap with TSPs. Any OTT platform/application cannot be offered to consumers without access to physical infrastructures that TSPs and ISPs deploy OTT service providers are heavily dependent on the TSPs. TSPs control the underlying broadband Internet access infrastructure and the delivery of OTT service to the last mile user by controlling Internet access and connectivity. it will be counter-productive to have licensing for communication applications and Internet platforms. In fact, due to low entry barriers, TSPs have an advantage over the online service providers. Any attempt to regulate OTT service providers when they are already in a disadvantageous position will result in a fragmented regulatory approach towards Internet as a sector. ALTBalaji The…
