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Tag: VoIP

  • TRAI says nyet to regulating communication OTTs

    TRAI says nyet to regulating communication OTTs

    MUMBAI: The Indian communication OTT ecosystem can breathe easier now. After slapping oodles of regulation on the TV sector, as voiced regularly by the television broadcasting community, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)  has recommended that no controls need to be imposed on  OTT services such as voice over internet telephony, SMS, video calling, and instant messaging services.

    On three counts, the TRAI has agreed to wait for it to evolve and consensus on regulations at the ITU level to emerge before imposing any further controls on OTTs:

    . Market forces may be allowed to respond to the situation without prescribing any regulatory intervention. However, developments shall be monitored and intervention as felt necessary shall be done at appropriate time.

    The TRAI further said in a report released today that the increase in usage of OTT, traffic of telecom service providers has also grown. “Various studies on appropriate business models are already under consideration in various jurisdictions and it is emerging. Therefore, any regulatory prescription in haste may leave adverse impact on industry as a whole.”

    Read our coverage on TRAI

    No regulatory interventions are required in respect of issues related with privacy and security of OTT services at the moment.

    The TRAI noted that:  ”After studying the issues, it has been observed that architecture of OTT communication services is evolving to protect the end users and encryption technology deployed in a manner which prevents intermediaries from getting the communication in a clear text or in an intelligible form. Imposition of any requirements to cater to get the details of communication in an intelligible form or clear text would either lead to change in the entire architecture of such OTT services which might not provide same level of protection as offered today or would require to introduce provisions which may make the agents involved in the communication vulnerable to unlawful actors.”

    It is not an opportune moment to recommend a comprehensive regulatory framework for various aspects of services referred to as OTT services, beyond the extant laws and regulations prescribed presently. The matter may be looked into afresh when more clarity emerges in international jurisdictions particularly the study undertaken by ITU.

    Regulation of OTT services is a widely debated topic in many jurisdictions as well as in ITU. While few jurisdictions have started exploring possibilities to regulate some aspects of a few OTT services through legal and technical measures but these efforts are yet in nascent stage and the overwhelming majority of jurisdictions and the ITU are still studying various aspects of OTTs. Since, ITU deliberations are also at study level, therefore conclusions may not be drawn regarding the regulatory framework of OTT services. However, in future, a framework may emerge regarding cooperation between OTT providers and telecom operators. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) are also actively participating in the ongoing deliberations in ITU on this issue. Based on the outcome of ITU deliberations DoT and TRAI may take appropriate consultations in future.

    Market forces may be allowed to respond to the situation without prescribing any regulatory intervention. However, developments shall be monitored and intervention as felt necessary shall be done at appropriate time.

    Industry has anywhere for some time been stating that the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 and the Information Technology Act, 2000 are robust enough to regulate the OTT sector. 

  • Wi-fi proliferation, Net Telephony discussion in January

    Wi-fi proliferation, Net Telephony discussion in January

    NEW DELHI: The open house discussion in the capital on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s consultation paper on “Proliferation of Broadband through Public Wi-Fi Networks” which was earlier slated for 20 December has now been rescheduled for 9 January 2017 to get greater participation in view of the importance attached to public Wi-Fi systems.

    The issuance of this paper on 13 July 2016 was followed by reactions and then a workshop in Bengaluru.

    Through a set of 12 questions, the Authority had sought to get the opinion of stakeholders including internet and telecom service providers on how best Wi-fi (an acronym for Wireless Fidelity) can grow in the country.

    At the outset, the regulator had noted that the growth of Internet penetration in India and realisation of its full potential is closely tied to the proliferation of broadband services. “Broadband” is currently defined to mean a data connection that is able to support interactive services, including Internet access, with the capability of a minimum download speed of 512 kbps. It therefore refers to a means of delivering high-speed Internet access services.

    Later, on 16 November, TRAI issued a second paper on model for nation-wide interoperable and scalable wi-fi networks.

    Earlier, TRAI had said it realised the importance of public Wi-Fi networks as complementary to existing landline and cellular mobile infrastructure in improving broadband penetration and adoption of Digital India.

    Meanwhile, TRAI has also scheduled on 12 January 2017 an open house discussion on internet telephony based on its paper of 22 June 2016 issued after noting that unified IP based backbone and the benefits associated with the converged telecom access scenario has enabled service providers to launch more and more converged services such as Internet Telephony, IPTV, Mobile TV etc. In the Consultation Paper, Trai had also pointed out that use of Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks, including the Internet, continues to grow around the world due to the multitude of applications it supports and particularly due to Voice Over IP (VoIP). IP-based networks are capable of providing real-time services such as voice and video telephony as well as non real-time services such as email and are driven by faster Internet connections, widespread take-up in broadband and the emergence of new technologies.

    Also read:

    Public Wi-Fi: TRAI plans to evolve model, releases paper

    Wi-fi proliferation: Discussion on 20 Dec

    TRAI gives 2nd extension to Internet telephony consultation

     

  • Wi-fi proliferation, Net Telephony discussion in January

    Wi-fi proliferation, Net Telephony discussion in January

    NEW DELHI: The open house discussion in the capital on the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s consultation paper on “Proliferation of Broadband through Public Wi-Fi Networks” which was earlier slated for 20 December has now been rescheduled for 9 January 2017 to get greater participation in view of the importance attached to public Wi-Fi systems.

    The issuance of this paper on 13 July 2016 was followed by reactions and then a workshop in Bengaluru.

    Through a set of 12 questions, the Authority had sought to get the opinion of stakeholders including internet and telecom service providers on how best Wi-fi (an acronym for Wireless Fidelity) can grow in the country.

    At the outset, the regulator had noted that the growth of Internet penetration in India and realisation of its full potential is closely tied to the proliferation of broadband services. “Broadband” is currently defined to mean a data connection that is able to support interactive services, including Internet access, with the capability of a minimum download speed of 512 kbps. It therefore refers to a means of delivering high-speed Internet access services.

    Later, on 16 November, TRAI issued a second paper on model for nation-wide interoperable and scalable wi-fi networks.

    Earlier, TRAI had said it realised the importance of public Wi-Fi networks as complementary to existing landline and cellular mobile infrastructure in improving broadband penetration and adoption of Digital India.

    Meanwhile, TRAI has also scheduled on 12 January 2017 an open house discussion on internet telephony based on its paper of 22 June 2016 issued after noting that unified IP based backbone and the benefits associated with the converged telecom access scenario has enabled service providers to launch more and more converged services such as Internet Telephony, IPTV, Mobile TV etc. In the Consultation Paper, Trai had also pointed out that use of Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks, including the Internet, continues to grow around the world due to the multitude of applications it supports and particularly due to Voice Over IP (VoIP). IP-based networks are capable of providing real-time services such as voice and video telephony as well as non real-time services such as email and are driven by faster Internet connections, widespread take-up in broadband and the emergence of new technologies.

    Also read:

    Public Wi-Fi: TRAI plans to evolve model, releases paper

    Wi-fi proliferation: Discussion on 20 Dec

    TRAI gives 2nd extension to Internet telephony consultation

     

  • TRAI norms violated in VoIP minutes sale

    TRAI norms violated in VoIP minutes sale

    MUMBAI: Norms set by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India norms were flouted in the sale of voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) minutes to illegal call centres in Ahmedabad. An official said that TRAI offered VoIP bandwidth for a certain fee to licence-holders.

    A four-member panel of IPS officers led by Ahmedabad police chief A K Singh, formed to investigate the bogus ‘call centre’ racket, is probing how the TRAI norms were violated in the sale of VoIP minutes to illegal call centres. Illicit call centres utilised VoIP minutes to defraud US citizens worth lakhs a few days ago.

    TRAI had earlier this year planned to set inter-connection charges for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls once the Department of Telecom (DoT) amended the relevant clause. The regulator suggested amending the licence provision for inter-connection at the IP level, which would ease Internet-based calls, alternatively known as VoIP calls.

    Officials in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) were studying how other regulatory norms were violated by the alleged racketeers. Other agencies such as the department of industries and department of science and technology could keep a watch on such centres. A police officer said the alleged nexus between the accused and the police was also being probed.

    The crime branch last week arrested Hardik Patel (a namesake of the controversial Patel leader), who had allegedly sold the minutes to a call centre in the Chandkheda area of Ahmedabad. Officials are investigating if Patel had a licence to sell VoIP minutes or if he purchased them from another licence-holder and then sold them to one Pritesh Joshi who managed call centre.

    A telecom company is required to pay inter-connection charges when its subscriber makes a call to one on another network. The charge gets added up in the final price, which the subscriber has to pay. At present, there are no inter-connection charges for VoIP calls as the licence did not have a clause for inter-connection at IP level.

    There was no means of determining the charges till the time licence is amended. Recommending to amend the licence, TRAI said there was no explicit clause relating to inter-connection at the IP level. Since IP-based networks, the regulator said, are continuing to grow, and traditional circuit switch networks are being slowly phased out, there is a requirement to facilitate inter-connection.

  • TRAI norms violated in VoIP minutes sale

    TRAI norms violated in VoIP minutes sale

    MUMBAI: Norms set by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India norms were flouted in the sale of voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) minutes to illegal call centres in Ahmedabad. An official said that TRAI offered VoIP bandwidth for a certain fee to licence-holders.

    A four-member panel of IPS officers led by Ahmedabad police chief A K Singh, formed to investigate the bogus ‘call centre’ racket, is probing how the TRAI norms were violated in the sale of VoIP minutes to illegal call centres. Illicit call centres utilised VoIP minutes to defraud US citizens worth lakhs a few days ago.

    TRAI had earlier this year planned to set inter-connection charges for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calls once the Department of Telecom (DoT) amended the relevant clause. The regulator suggested amending the licence provision for inter-connection at the IP level, which would ease Internet-based calls, alternatively known as VoIP calls.

    Officials in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) were studying how other regulatory norms were violated by the alleged racketeers. Other agencies such as the department of industries and department of science and technology could keep a watch on such centres. A police officer said the alleged nexus between the accused and the police was also being probed.

    The crime branch last week arrested Hardik Patel (a namesake of the controversial Patel leader), who had allegedly sold the minutes to a call centre in the Chandkheda area of Ahmedabad. Officials are investigating if Patel had a licence to sell VoIP minutes or if he purchased them from another licence-holder and then sold them to one Pritesh Joshi who managed call centre.

    A telecom company is required to pay inter-connection charges when its subscriber makes a call to one on another network. The charge gets added up in the final price, which the subscriber has to pay. At present, there are no inter-connection charges for VoIP calls as the licence did not have a clause for inter-connection at IP level.

    There was no means of determining the charges till the time licence is amended. Recommending to amend the licence, TRAI said there was no explicit clause relating to inter-connection at the IP level. Since IP-based networks, the regulator said, are continuing to grow, and traditional circuit switch networks are being slowly phased out, there is a requirement to facilitate inter-connection.

  • Government should set aside Rs 10,000 crore for cable modernisation: Arvind Prabhoo

    Government should set aside Rs 10,000 crore for cable modernisation: Arvind Prabhoo

    MUMBAI: The seed of the dream of seeing a ‘Digital India’ was sown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as he took charge to make India a better and developed country. And now to make this dream come true are the cable TV operators, who are looking at achieving this through cable TV transformation.

     

    In keeping with this, Maharashtra Cable Operators Foundation (MCOF) president Arvind Prabhoo has already sent a presentation to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I&B) to not only update them of the needs of the industry, but also how the government could help push the agenda.

     

    According to Prabhoo, the sector needs regulatory support. This includes cable Internet Service Provider (ISP) licence on soft terms, last mile cable operator licensing, price control on content and level playing field for domestic voice over IP (VoIP). The MCOF president has also requested the Ministry for infrastructure support including long haul fibre and BSNL networking sharing, innovative per customer/month fees and cable modernisation fund. With the industry moving to a whole new system of cable TV viewing, the industry needs re-skilling and incentives for innovations.    

     

    MCOF in its proposition to the I&B has also said that the government needs to become the national data pipe in order to act as a digital courier. “Set one country, one service, one price,” informed Prabhoo. 

     

    Not only this, the government should look at setting aside a cable modernisation fund of around Rs 10,000 crore. Of this, according to Prabhoo, Rs 4000 crore will be used in set top box (STB) financing at Rs 300 per SD STB, Rs 5500 crore at Rs 600 per home passed will be used in infrastructure upgrade and Rs 500 crore will be used towards technology R&D. “The Ministry could fund the industry for a tenure of five years. With this funding, the government will be the biggest beneficiary as it would be collecting taxes on the funds,” opined Prabhoo.

     

    Cable TV currently reaches to close to 60 per cent homes (12 crore) of which around 9 crore are in DAS phase III and IV areas. “The sector which has a workforce of close to 300,000, has the potential to serve some 50 crore data users,” he added.

     

    In the presentation to the Ministry, MCOF has also highlighted the challenges faced by the digital India. These include the high customer acquisition cost, resulting in unavailability of basic data services, shortages in last mile local loop and predominance of concrete in civil structures which is eroding fidelity of wireless services.

     

    “We had sent the presentation to the Ministry for a robust cable TV industry, but have not heard from them so far,” concluded Prabhoo.

  • VoIP services market revenues to rise to $88 billion by 2018: Infonetics

    VoIP services market revenues to rise to $88 billion by 2018: Infonetics

    NEW DELHI: The global business and residential VoIP services market rose eight per cent in 2013 to $68 billion and are expected to yield a revenue of $88 billion by 2018.

     

    According to Infonetics Research, SIP trunking increased 50 per cent in 2013 from the prior year, driven predominantly by activity in North America.

     

    Infonetics Research says EMEA is expected to be a strong contributor for SIP trunking business in 2014.

     

    “Business VoIP services have moved well beyond early stages to mainstream, strengthened by the growing adoption of SIP trunking and cloud services worldwide. Hosted unified communications are seeing strong interest up market as mid-market and larger enterprises evaluate and move more applications to the cloud, and this is positively impacting the market,” said Infonetics Research principal analyst for VoIP, UC, and IMS Diane Myers.

     

    Sales of hosted PBX and unified communication (UC) services increased 13 per cent in 2013, and seats grew 35 per cent due to continued demand for enterprise cloud-based services, the report said.

     

    Global residential VoIP subscribers increased eight per cent to 212 million in 2013.

     

    Infonetics Research says managed services are benefitting from the continued adoption of IP PBXs: Roughly 10 per cent–20 per cent of new IP PBX lines sold are part of a managed service or outsourced contract.

  • Sindh govt bans VOIP services to prevent terrorism activities

    Sindh govt bans VOIP services to prevent terrorism activities

    NEW DELHI: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has said it has no immediate plans of banning aforesaid online services in Sindh.

     

    A PTA spokesperson further clarified that it has not received any request from the Sindh government to ban Skype, Viber and Whatsapp for limited period.

     

    On 4 October, the entire social media world in Pakistan had received a shock when Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon announced a three-month ban on VOIP based services mainly due to stop the terrorist activities in Karachi.

     

    Just two days earlier, when an independent watchdog organisation – Freedom House – ranked Pakistan among the bottom 10 countries on net freedom.

     

    The report stated that various political and social obstacles to net freedom have been put in place by successive governments in the name of fighting terrorism.

     

    Earlier, there was a similar ban in Saudi Arabia, increasing on-net calls via Skype resulting in drop of revenues for Etsilat and other major telecom companies. They used the card of “Religion” stating that these services are spreading profanity in the youth and ultimately got those services banned in the country.

  • ZyXEL Launches 802.11ac Adapter Line to Deliver Enhanced Speed and Range to Desktops, Laptops, and Mobile Devices

    ZyXEL Launches 802.11ac Adapter Line to Deliver Enhanced Speed and Range to Desktops, Laptops, and Mobile Devices

    NEW DELHI– ZyXEL Communications, a world-class broadband networkingcompany providing a wide-ranging portfolio of Internet-enabled wired and wireless solutions, has introduced its NWD6505 and NWD6605 802.11ac Dual-Band Wireless USB adapters. The inconspicuous little devices enable home users and travelers to upgrade their desktops, laptops 

    and portable devices to the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology, greatly improving media streaming and online communications.

    The ZyXEL NWD6605 Dual-Band Wireless AC1200 USB Adapter delivers data transfer rates of up to 300 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz channel or 867 Mbps on the 5 GHz channel . It features two antennas, enabling it to deliver wider coverage and provide better wireless performance. It’s ideal for HD video streaming, online gaming, multiple downloading, and sharing multiple large files simultaneously.

    The NWD6605 also uses a USB 3.0 interface for the fastest networking experience. USB 3.0 interface is 10 times faster than USB 2.0 with transfer data rates of up to 5 Gigabit per second.

    ZyXEL’s NWD6505 Dual-Band Wireless AC600 USB Adapter delivers data transfer rates of up to 150 Mbps at 2.4 GHz or 433 Mbps at 5 GHz1. Both the NWD6505 and NWD6605 Dual-Band Wireless USB Adapters take advantage of the latest 802.11ac technology. The accelerated throughput of 802.11ac over the less congested 5-GHz frequency band offers optimal, lag-free experience with streaming video, audio, VoIP, gaming, web browsing, and other entertainment and communication applications. Each is fully backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n wireless networks.

    The NWD6505 and NWD6605 adapters are geared for desktop and laptop users who require a dual-band wireless AC network connection for faster HD video, media streaming and online gaming. The compact, stylish, and lightweight design of the ZyXEL NWD6505 and NWD6605 also offers excellent portability for road warriors, vacationers, students, and others on the move.
    The units are Microsoft Windows 8 certified, so users may use them with the latest systems. With the included WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup), it offers a fast and simple secured connection at the touch of a button.

  • Broadband demand drives highest telecom growth since 2000

    Broadband demand drives highest telecom growth since 2000

    MUMBAI: Last year, the US telecom market grew at its fastest rate since 2000, showing that the drive towards convergence continues to stimulate the telecommunications industry, according to TIA’s 2007 Telecommunications Market Review and Forecast.

    Each year, TIA’s Telecommunications Market Review and Forecast analyses the trends affecting the information and communications technology industry. The report includes an overview of the entire industry, as well as detailed sections on the landline, wireless, equipment and international markets.

    TIA’s annual review of the health of the telecom industry shows that the worldwide telecom market grew 11.2 per cent in 2006 to total $3 trillion in revenue, while the US market grew 9.3 per cent to total $923 billion.

    Demand for broadband and high-speed services is fueling this growth, as carriers invest in new fiber, new IP technology and new wireless infrastructure to provide state-of-the-art voice, video and data services.

    Europe has the largest telecom market, measuring at $1 trillion, with the Asia/Pacific third at $715 billion. Overall, the international market grew 12.1 per cent in 2006. Middle East/Africa was the fastest- growing region, expanding at 21.6 per cent. By 2010, the global market is expected to reach $4.3 trillion in revenue.

    TIA president Grant Seiffert says, “Consumers are thirsty for broadband, and this report shows carriers are rushing to meet the demand. Technologies like voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) and broadband video, as well as new mobile data services, are sparking new growth in the telecommunications industry. As a result, carriers are offering more competitive all-in-one bundled packages, and consumers are seeing lower prices and more services.”

    The report forecasts growth for competing new broadband technologies such as fiber, satellite, wireless and broadband over powerline, which combined will account for more than 11 per cent of broadband subscribers in 2010.