Recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) published a consultation paper making recommendations for regulation of online communication platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Zoom, etc. One of the important arguments made in the paper is that online communication platforms must pay telecom companies for using the infrastructure of the telecom service providers.
The reasoning for this being, communication platforms offer same kind of service OTT communication services, which is essentially calling and messaging, and yet they are eating away at the customer base of the telcos. But is this argument justified? Are telcos facing challenges because of OTT communication apps?
In this video, MediaNama Founder-Editor Nikhil Pahwa, answers these questions and highlights the impact of network fee on net neutrality. Pahwa is of the view that communication apps are not freeriding on the internet, they are simply paying their edge ISPs. If the network fee arrangement were to become a reality, it would imply that websites would be double charged or even triple charged by ISPs.
Watch the full video to know more:
Also Read:
- Is It Fair To Charge Communication Platforms A Network Fee?
- Should communication apps contribute to the USO Fund? #NAMA
- How bad policy led South Korea into a Net Neutrality nightmare
- European Union wants Big Tech to pay telcos: a threat to net neutrality?
- A summary: TRAI releases consultation paper on calling and messaging app regulation
