Telecom companies want OTT players under stricter norms

NEW DELHI: Telecom companies on Monday attacked ‘Over the Top’ (OTT) service providers like WhatsApp, Facebook and Skype, and sought that they should be subject to same stringent safeguards as telcos, especially on lawful interception and data localisation aspects.

In an open house discussion on ‘regulatory framework for OTT Communications Services’ held by telecom regulator Trai on Monday, telecom operators asserted that some of the popular OTTs offering voice and messaging services are “perfect substitutes” to services provided by telcos and hence need to be regulated to avoid an imbalance in the sector. It is also to be noted that in the past, telcos have blamed OTTs for eating up their revenue and profitability.