Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) and Bharti Airtel, two leading telecom operators in India, recently met and talked with the union telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. The telcos discussed the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) issue with the minister. The Supreme Court of India recently rejected to entertain the curative plea filed by the telcos for AGR dues recalculation. At their meeting with the minister, the telcos expressed their views on what's troubling the telecom sector. However, according to a Livemint report, no discussions around relief measures took place.
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Telecom Minister Meets Telco to Discuss Connectivity, Affordability and Accessibility
Jyotiraditya Scindia shared that he met with the telcos and discussed key issues that directly impact the customer satisfaction of the service. In a post on social media platform X, Scindia shared, "Chaired a productive meeting with the Stakeholder Advisory Committee of the Telecommunication Service Providers (TSPs). Together, we discussed key issues related to enhancing customer satisfaction, streamlining processes and improving quality of service, thus ensuring connectivity, accessibility and affordability for all."
All the telcos and their leaders were present during this meeting. According to a report from TheHindu, the telcos also raised the point of bringing regulation for OTT (over-the-top) apps with the telecom minister. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) decided not to bring regulation over the OTT apps.
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The telcos have continuously put forth that the OTT communication platforms essentially offer the same services as them and yet are not regulated. Platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram offer calling and texting services. But they don't have to submit to regulations as they are not bound by the telecom policies. The telecom operators are disappointed with the fact that they have to spend money to build network infrastructure, scale network capacity to support OTT apps, and pay statutory dues under licensing rules while the OTT platforms don't have to do any of it while offering the same services.
