A consultation paper on regulating converged digital technologies and services was issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on January 30, 2023. The paper deals with issues enabling the convergence of carriage of broadcasting services and telecommunication services. The telecom watchdog noted that various technological developments in digital markets have resulted in the convergence of devices, services, and networks over a period of time. “Efficient utilization of resources, increased level of competition, more innovative user applications and technological developments are the main drivers of convergence. The convergence of digital and physical products through the use of Machine to Machine (M2M), Internet of Things (loT), Artificial Intelligence and other technologies is paving the way for Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0),” TRAI said in its press release. What is convergence: It means bringing unrelated technologies together in a single device. Smartphones might be the best example of such a convergence. One can send their comments to Sanjeev Kumar Sharma, Advisor (Broadband & Policy Analysis), TRAI, by February 27, 2023, and counter-comments by March 13, 2023. The comments can be sent to advbbpa@trai.gov.in with a copy to jtadv-bbpa@trai.gov.in Why it matters: The paper is notable as it examines challenges posed by converging technologies and seeks the views of stakeholders on changes needed in legal, administrative, and licensing frameworks to deal with them, as per TRAI. What are the issues flagged by TRAI in the consultation paper? Whether the present laws are adequate to deal with the convergence of carriage of broadcasting services…
