OTT comms services should be licenced, compensate telecom firms: COAI

Telecom operators’ body COAI on Tuesday made a strong pitch for OTT (over-the-top) communications services to directly compensate telcos for data traffic they are driving onto the networks, as it advocated a licencing and light-touch regulation framework for such services.

Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI), Director General, SP Kochhar said that the association, as part of draft telecom bill, has given its suggestions on how OTT communications services should be defined, to ensure there is no ambiguity.

The other aspects like proposing a financial model for OTT communications services to compensate telecom service providers, through a possible revenue share model,