Rules should be same for similar services: COAI head

NEW DELHI : Telecom operators are looking into Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (Trai) decision not to regulate over-the-top (OTT) platforms, said S.P. Kochhar, director general, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which counts Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, Bharti Airtel Ltd and Vodafone Idea Ltd as its members. In an interview, Kochhar said telcos should not be viewed as just revenue-generating agencies and the additional cost of replacing Chinese equipment will be a problem. Edited excerpts:

Will telecom operators be impacted by Trai’s decision against regulating OTT communication services like WhatsApp?