India’s telecom operators have urged the government to bring over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram under the ambit of existing cybersecurity and regulatory frameworks that currently apply to telecom service providers (TSPs). The move, they said, is essential to curb the growing menace of spam and scam calls and messages, according to an ETTelecom report.
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COAI Pushes for Regulatory Parity
“Cybersecurity measures need to be reinforced with clear outlines, which is to free people of unwanted spam/fraud calls and messages to the maximum extent possible. It may be judicious that similar cybersecurity and regulatory rules govern all necessary players such as TSPs or OTT Communication Applications. This can be the only way to provide relief,” S P Kochhar, director general, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), was quoted as saying in an official statement Tuesday, April 29.
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Device-Independent OTT Usage
COAI, which represents Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, cautioned that spam and scam communications could go unchecked if OTT apps continue operating outside the scope of telecom regulations. The association noted that OTT apps can be used on devices other than the one linked to a SIM card, making it difficult to trace malicious activity and hold entities accountable.
"A TSP is fully responsible, and can provide all legal assistance if a (mobile) number is issued by it to a subscriber. But there could be instances where an OTT communications app used on the same number, may be utilised in another handset of the user, and carried beyond the limits of a city/state, and may be used for illegal purposes,” Kochhar explained, as per the report.
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In such a scenario, he said, the number can only be traced to the city where the mobile phone is residing, but there is no way to trace activities of the OTT app which was initially issued on a (specific) mobile number, but is now running on a separate handset. “This happens because the (OTT) app and the SIM are not tightly bound together even after installation of the OTT app,” said the COAI director general, as per the report.
Steganography Poses Emerging Threat
The COAI also flagged concerns around steganography — the practice of concealing malicious content within seemingly harmless files such as images or documents — warning that this poses an additional cybersecurity threat that OTT platforms must be made accountable for. "This is another issue which requires attention, as it makes the presence of the hidden message difficult to detect, encouraging fraud."
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Regulations Inadequate Without OTT Inclusion
In recent months, telecom operators have repeatedly called for OTT platforms, as well as business entities like banks and telemarketers, to be brought under regulatory oversight. They argue that as commercial communication increasingly shifts to OTT channels, the absence of clear regulatory mechanisms will hinder efforts to tackle spam and fraudulent messaging.
Telcos maintain that strengthening the existing Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR) alone will not suffice, especially when a significant share of unsolicited communication is now routed through unregulated OTT platforms.
