Telecom Bill drops OTT reference, retains regulator Trai's powers

Legislation clears the way for satellite spectrum to be administratively allocated by the government

A new draft of the telecom Bill – introduced before Parliament on Monday – doesn’t mention over the top (OTT) services in its definition of telecom services and clears the way for the government to allocate satellite spectrum. It retains the powers given to India’s telecom regulator.

Reviewed by 'Business Standard', the draft defines telecommunications services as "any service for telecommunications".

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Previous drafts of the Bill extended the definition of telecommunications services to include OTT services such as messaging platform WhatsApp and video calling programme Skype. These internet-based service providers were to be subject to similar rules as other telecom companies.