WhatsApp and Viber might no more be free

[Dileep Kumar]

The TRAI is planning to initiate a regulation on the OTT (Over-the-Top) companies who provide apps such as WhatsApp, Viber and similar social networking apps.

According to Business Today, TRAI has organized a seminar on Tuesday, August 12. The seminar is on the regulatory framework for OTT services that have an impact on the revenue of the telecom companies.

The report stated, ‘Trai on Monday said a seminar will be organised on Tuesday on regulatory framework for OTT services that aims to provide a platform to exchange the views on key issues related to OTT such as new developments in OTT, impact of OTT on telecom services providers and their counter measures, legal and regulatory framework for OTT.’

The seminar will end with a decision on the OTT players. However, the TRAI is unlikely to pose any major restrictions on the app providers.
Presently, the apps are very popular amongst mobile users. Running the apps on the mobile bandwidth is causing a revenue loss for telecom providers.

Business Today also reported that telecom providers such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular want the app providers to pay a connectivity charge.

According to telecom industry estimates, telecom companies are currently losing around Rs 5,000 crore annually due to these free apps.

The figure is expected to cross an estimated Rs 16,400 crore in the next two years, as smartphone users are growing rapidly.

The TRAI wants to bring in the regulation so that the app providers can pay connectivity charges to telecom companies and share revenue with the government as well.

WhatsApp and Viber might no more be free

 

[Thakur]

Your Whatsapp could cost
you, soon

MUMBAI:Telecom operators are
worried with the increasing
number of over the top (OTT) services that are using their
bandwidth to provide share audio,
video and text.Therefore,the
Telecom Regulatory Authority of
India (TRAI) decided to pacify everyone with a
seminar to discuss the issue.
The telecom industry claims that it is suffering
huge losses due to platforms such as Skype,
Whatsapp and Viber that provide similar
services at no cost but the internet service
charge. PTI reports Cellular Operators
Association of India director general TV
Ramachandran stating during the seminar, “We
want some kind of regulatory help to get a
level-playing field. There are so many
regulations binding on us but the same don’t
exist for OTT players. We can do a lot more if
level-playing field is given to us.”
According to data by PricewaterhouseCoopers
managing consultant Neeraj Kataria, Skype
usage is costing the telecom industry around
$36 billion a year globally.
On the other hand, when Whatsapp picked up
speed in the country, several other such
services such as Hike, Line, WeChat, Snapchat
etc also emerged to eat a share of the pie.
Ramachandran also shared his concern that
OTT services can switch calls over the web
outside India but telecom ops have to pay
interconnect charges.
Association of Unified Telecom Service
Providers of India (AUSPI) president CS Rao
said that OTT service providers have no rule
regarding quality of service and consumer
commitment. “If 20 per cent of our customers
start using OTT service then burden on network
will increase $55 per subscriber,’ he added.
A report in Business Today states that telcos
currently are losing around Rs 5000 crore per
year due to these OTT services that will cross
Rs 16,400 crore in next two years.
On the other hand, Internet and Mobile
Association of India president Subho Roy
stated that TRAI should keep out of it since it
is a business to business issue. But the TRAI
secretary Sudhir Gupta is reported to have said
that the purpose of the seminar is not to see if
OTT services are cutting into telecom
operators’ revenue but whether there is a need
for regulating such service or not.
Amid all this, Facebook India has also joined
the Cellular Operators Association of India to
‘focus on mobile technology, access and its
continued desire to work in collaboration with
the industry to increase connectivity.’ http://www.indiantelevision.com/mam/media-and-advertising/out-of-home/your-whatsapp-could-cost-you-soon-140808

 

[Dileep Kumar]

RE: Your Whatsapp could cost
you, soon

Pls close these thread already posted by me WhatsApp and Viber might no more be free

 

[adhu84]

RE: Your Whatsapp could cost
you, soon

You two guys are competing each other for posting articles...

 

[Karan rocks]

RE: Your Whatsapp could costyou, soon

You two guys are competing each other for posting articles...

Right bro, competing with each other for posting articles.:rofl

 

[adhu84]

RE: Your Whatsapp could costyou, soon

i don't think everybody is reading whole article.

Instead of copying and pasting whole article can they post brief summary of the article and post a link to original article. So whoever wants more details can go the link and rest can get a idea from summary..

This is only my suggestion nothing else.

 

[Thakur]

RE: Your Whatsapp could cost
you, soon

search first but no result found ( tapatalk ) new thread start by me

 

[Anirudha]

RE: Your Whatsapp could costyou, soon

Copy pasting is just only wasting ours and others time

 

[adhu84]

RE: Your Whatsapp could costyou, soon

Copy pasting is just only wasting ours and others time

absolutely right bro...Nobody cares to read whole article..That is why i asked whoever wants to post article why they cant post brief outline of the article

 

[Karan rocks]

RE: Your Whatsapp could costyou, soon

Most of the articles this 2 members posted till now is useless, they are posting some unnecessary articles, pls stop it and try to post only popular and imp. articles.:wall