OTTs, apps will not be regulated as telecom services: DoT

The move to remove OTT from the Telecom Bill is expected to be tabled in the winter session of the Parliament.

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  • Storyboard18,
 | September 19, 2023 , 8:42 am
OTT is tuned into for specific programming, so ads are more likely to be consumed because they are fewer and unskippable at the start and middle of programming.(Representative Image: Bastian Riccardi via Unsplash)
OTT is tuned into for specific programming, so ads are more likely to be consumed because they are fewer and unskippable at the start and middle of programming.(Representative Image: Bastian Riccardi via Unsplash)

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will not regulate over-the-top (OTT) players, or apps, from the definition of telecommunication services in the Telecom Bill, reported The Economic Times. This will give huge relief to communication service providers such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, and will remain out of telecom regulation.

According to DoT, the current definition of telecom services under the Telegraph Act is good enough and that there’s no need to add OTT in the new bill. The ET report quotes an official, “We (DoT) don’t have any intent to regulate OTT. No revenue share, nothing at all.”

The move to remove OTT from the Telecom Bill is expected to be tabled in the winter session of the Parliament.

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