TELCOS WANT OTTs REGULATED

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the industry body of telecom operators like Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio and Airtel, has shot off a letter to Telecom Secretary Anshu Prakash to bring OTTs (Over-the-top) communication players like Netflix and Amazon Prime under regulations similar to those imposed on them to ensure a level playing field.

It has sought otherwise relaxations of the regulatory obligations on the operators and not enforce the new norms such as Traffic Management Practices (TMP) for net neutrality.

The letter points out the policy disparities, noting that the OTT apps do not have any obligation to ensure privacy, while telcos are required to adhere to strict conditions on confidentiality and protection of privacy in communication.

Citing the recent example of WhatsApp changing the privacy policy of users, it said the OTTs totally compromise the privacy of the consumers as they can share complete data of users with any other company.