Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw weighed in on telecom firms’ demand that OTT apps pay a “usage fee” to operators due to how a lot visitors the latter carry for them on their networks. File.
| Photo Credit: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar
Minister for Railways, Communications, and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday weighed in on telecom firms’ demand that over-the-top (OTT) communications apps pay a “usage fee” to operators due to how a lot visitors the latter carry for them on their networks.
“There is a global movement, a global discussion [on OTT apps], lots and lots of regulatory changes are happening in the entire world,” Mr. Vaishnaw stated. “Telecom is an industry where everything is benchmarked to the world. Whatever we do will be in sync with the global trends.”
Mr. Vaishnaw was talking at a press convention saying India successful the GSM Association’s GLOMO Award for Government Leadership on the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Mr. Vaishnaw credited the award, given to one nation yearly for “world-class leadership in the establishment of sound telecommunications regulatory policies,” to the federal government’s function in remodeling the telecom sector.
Also learn: Towards transparency in OTT regulation
Mr. Vaishnaw stated a objective to cowl a minimum of 200 districts with 5G know-how had been completed sooner than the promised date of March 31. “As of today, India has covered 387 districts with 5G coverage with 1 lakh BTSs [base stations],” he stated. “85% of [telecom tower] permissions are happening instantaneously.”
Key reforms
On the draft Indian Telecommunication Bill, 2022, which was printed for public feedback final 12 months, the IT Minister stated the federal government needed to move it by the Monsoon Session of Parliament. The Bill “will bring about major significant reform[s],” Mr. Vaishnaw stated. “We’re working on all the inputs we have received from various Ministries, stakeholders, industry participants, global bodies, and other regulators in this sector” just like the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.
On making these inputs publicly out there, Mr. Vaishnaw stated, “Even before we published the first draft [of the Bill], we published a pre-consultation paper. Based on that paper, we came out with the first draft. Then, lots and lots of inputs were received. On the basis of those inputs, we’re doing another draft. That draft, before we go to Parliament, it will all be visible to you.”
On whether or not the ultimate draft of the Bill can be topic to public consultations, the Minister stated Parliament was the voice of the folks, and that parliamentary committees “have a duty to perform”.
Vodafone Idea
On the embattled telecom operator Vodafone Idea Ltd, Mr. Vaishnaw stated the survival of the telecom operator was vital. “There is no default [on payments from Vodafone Idea],” he stated. “The company is stressed, it needs capital. The more capital support it gets, the better.” When pressed on the federal government assist being supplied to the telco, Mr. Vaishnaw joked, “Look, there are many things that shouldn’t be discussed openly.”
