The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) issued a statement today regarding TRAI's consultation paper titled "Regulatory Mechanism for Over-The-Top (OTT) Communication Services and Selective Banning of OTT Services." COAI stated that certain quarters are promoting misleading views of Fair Share, and it would like to clarify the air surrounding such views.
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COAI said that various misleading and speculative views are misleading and confusing people regarding the idea of the proposed 'Fair-Share' charge to be paid by Large Traffic Generating (LTG) OTT players to the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs). This charge would help in the development and maintenance of quality networks to cater to the huge network traffic generated by growing data demands.
COAI clarified that contrary to misguided opinions, a fair-share contribution from OTTs will not violate Net Neutrality. There is no pricing differentiation, a decision on charging a fair share on a case-to-case basis, etc., favouring one website, application, or service. People are being misled by such unfounded fears and scenarios with vested interests.
COAI affirmed that the proposed fair share charge does not affect access to an open and free Internet as the Indian telcos are bound by their license conditions to ensure Net Neutrality, and will continue to do so.
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S P Kochhar, Director General of COAI said the content and services for consumers would remain fully accessible with no traffic management/differentiation. Further, there will be no throttling, no blocking and no paid prioritization for any service/application irrespective of the fair share charge paid. The price for the traffic paid by end users will not change depending on whether the traffic generator is subject to fair share payments or not.
COAI stated that the fair share charge represents a just compensation mechanism intended to be paid by the largest traffic generators (LTGs) to TSPs, ensuring the sustainability of telecom networks. A fairer allocation of network costs can alleviate the pressure on consumer prices for communication services, providing an alternative means to meet the sector's significant investment requirements.
COAI also highlighted that its proposal to exempt startups, MSMEs, and small enterprises within the OTT ecosystem from payment of the fair share charge would nurture the startup ecosystem and ensure that smaller players enjoy the advantage of improved network quality.
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The payment of the fair share fee by LTGs to TSPs will eventually enhance customer satisfaction, as end-users will benefit from better network quality and improved services, said S P Kochhar.
