COAI Calls Out Big Tech Players for Spreading Misleading Propaganda

COAI

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has called out the big tech players for spreading misleading views on the legitimate demand for TSPs (Telecom service providers) seeking a usage charge from the OTT (over-the-top) players that ride on their networks. In a release, COAI said that big tech companies are propagating that revenues earned by the IPs (infrastructure providers) should be shared with the entities using it in the same proportion. COAI has called this an “outrageous suggestion”.

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The industry body took a simple analogy where it called the telecom networks “roadways” through which consumers travel via public transport and vehicles. In this analogy, OTT service providers are the buses. The passengers on the bus pay for the tickets to travel much like they pay to consume data for availing digital services. Vehicles also have to pay the toll tax for using roads which contributes to the maintenance and upkeeping of the roads.

COAI said, “The outrageous suggestion of roads paying to the vehicles for getting passengers on their network is unheard of. OTTs, though, are not paying anything to the TSPs presently for their network costs.”

In strong words, the industry body said, “Besides cannibalising the services of the telecom operators, OTTs consume humongous bandwidth, which stresses the telcos’ networks and necessitates their continuous and speedy upgradation and development.”

COAI talked about how the telcos are already overstretched because of the growing volume of fixed broadband and mobile traffic on their network. Thus, the telcos have to invest continuously in new technologies to upgrade their networks. This upgradation results in better quality services for consumers when they are on an OTT platform.