TRAI seeks perspectives on regulating converged virtual applied sciences, services and products, Telecom Information, ET Telecom

Mumbai: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has sought trade ideas at the felony, regulatory, licensing and spectrum control framework to care for convergence of carriage of broadcasting services and products and telecommunication services and products.

“Virtual connectivity, which is used to supply telecom and web services and products, has additionally obtained features to supply services and products that have been supplied by means of the broadcasting services and products,” Trai stated in a session paper launched Monday night. The paper was once titled ‘Regulating Converged Virtual Applied sciences and Products and services – Enabling Convergence of Carriage of Broadcasting and Telecommunication services and products’.

The Division of Telecommunications had written to Trai in October 2021 in search of tips on amending the license regime to allow convergence of telecom and broadcasting services and products, and setting up a unified coverage and spectrum control framework for a similar.

In August 2022, via any other missive, the dep. requested the sphere regulator to incorporate tips on restructuring felony, licensing and regulatory framework to take advantage of convergence, and revising the regulatory framework for DTH and cable services and products in the similar vein.

Trai noticed within the paper that whilst prior to now telecommunications and broadcasting served two distinct functions, and as such had been govt by means of separate regulatory and licensing framework, it’s now not the case.

“As of late’s evolving virtual applied sciences and ongoing deregulation are starting to blur the bounds that after separated those two purposes, no less than from the standpoint of carriage of those services and products,” the sphere regulator additional noticed.

Trai additionally identified that now and again, technological convergence may end up in a brand new generation which has no regulatory framework to manipulate it, because it didn’t exist whilst formulating the framework that governs the applied sciences it originates from.

“Technological convergence brings with it unusual problems with coverage, legislation, knowledge privateness, and information safety, therefore it is crucial that coverage and rules evolve on a continuing foundation to stay tempo with the trends,” it added, stressing the desire for a brand new framework to manipulate services and products and generation choices emerging out of convergence of telecommunication carriers and broadcasters.

Trai has requested the trade to supply detailed notes on whether or not the present rules are ok to care for convergence of carriage of broadcasting services and products and telecommunication services and products, or they wish to be amended, or there may be wish to introduce altogether new rules to manipulate converged services and products.

Business avid gamers have until February 27 to post their feedback at the dialogue paper, and till March 13 to post the counter feedback, if any.

Vi misplaced a whopping 1.82 million cell customers in November, additional shrinking its consumer base to 243.79 million. Against this, Jio and Airtel consumer bases expanded to 422.80 million and 366.08 million respectively, newest subscriber knowledge collated by means of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) confirmed.

It has additionally raised the problem of the wish to have a unified coverage framework and spectrum control regime for the carriage of broadcasting services and products and telecommunication services and products, and has requested ideas for a similar.

“Absence of institutional mechanism for coordination amongst a couple of administrative devices/govt departments which might be accountable to manipulate converged services and products, ends up in confusion and uncertainty among stakeholders,” the regulator noticed.

There are lots of different examples of converged services and products which fall below the purview of a couple of ministries and departments since there’s no governing framework for stated services and products.

“The distribution of identical purposes around the a couple of Ministries/ Executive Departments now not handiest ends up in inconsistencies within the building of the coverage manner nevertheless it additionally will increase the regulatory burden and value at the trade and Business,” the sphere regulator identified, including that every one this culminates in lowered ease of doing trade.

It has sought stakeholder perspectives on selection licensing and administrative framework/structure/status quo that facilitates the orderly expansion of telecom and broadcasting sectors whilst dealing with demanding situations being posed by means of convergence, if the present framework isn’t ok.

Finally, it has additionally sought the trade’s perspectives on how trying out, coaching, and analysis building below quite a lot of ministries will also be synergised in a convergent panorama.

They added that the estimated surge in cell knowledge utilization all over the IPL may be more likely to hasten 5G adoption and spice up urge for food for cell web services and products in rural India the place tv penetration is reasonably modest.