Why deny broadcasting telecom-like success? Trai must shed intensive regulation

Can you imagine living without your smartphone? From waking up to that of falling asleep, many of us are glued to our mobile devices. Indeed, a recent study by Cybermedia Research shows that Indians spend one-third of their waking hours on their smartphone, and a majority of study participants reported feeling sad and bored without their phones!

In its heyday, Indian telecom became one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, and a source of great pride for the nation, with over half a billion people owning smartphones. The broadcasting industry, however, has not been privy to such growth-fuelling policies. There has been a spate of heavy regulations that include stringent pricing caps on TV channel pricing. Where is this headed? Will it spill over to the over-the-top (OTT) streaming services?