TRAI may put usage fee on WhatsApp, Viber and the likes

[SaiyanGoku]

TRAI may put usage fee on WhatsApp, Viber and the likes: report - Tech2

With the rise of instant messaging apps like WhatsApp, Viber and others, telcos had started to make noise against the rampant adoption of these services. In April, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) disclosed to be working on discussion paper that looks at the impact of Over-The-Top (OTT) players such as messaging apps. Looks like, TRAI is on its way to find a solution by putting a fee on such apps.

According to a report by Business Today, TRAI held a seminar to initiate the process to bring in a regulation for providers of apps like WhatsApp and Viber to pay connectivity charges to telecom companies and share revenue with the government.

The key pointers of discussion at the seminar were ‘new developments in OTT, impact of OTT on telecom services providers and their counter measures, legal and regulatory framework for OTT’. It also plans to release a discussion paper. However, the report further points out it may not pose major restrictions on such apps.

The good old ‘SMS’ and even phone calls have been suffering due to the rise in popularity of these apps. Several telcos including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, reportedly want app providers to pay a connectivity charge to make up for the losses in revenue, since many apps replace core revenue streams such as SMSes or phone calls.

The report points out that telcos currently ‘lose around Rs 5,000 crore annually’ because of such free apps . This figure is expected to cross Rs 16,400 crore in the next two years, as the number of users opting for data will increase.

Basically, telcos are butthurt that people are shifting to almost free alternatives instead of using their overpriced services.

 

[icebags]

telcos should understand that, they are getting paid by means of data charge.

 

[Anorion]

wow such acche din aa gaye

it's funny how we first get all the good stuff, then it get's taken away. can think of so many great services that are being pulled from India instead of new and better ones being introduced.

 

[saswat23]

Such idiots in the Indian Govt.
Wow! Great.
Now they want to loot us for anything and everything that we are able to do freely.

 

[DDIF]

Idiots running TRAI and GOVT, people at orgnaizations like TRAI and DoT don't even know what Internet, digital era and speed are, they are effing puppets of these so called telcos.
Dekh lo "Ache Din"

 

[Hrishi]

Corporate giants running the politics and making the decisions , most likely.
This is not what we asked for.

- - - Updated - - -

A frustrated typical Indian 2G Service and broadband User- "
First of all they charge such exorbitant amounts for age old services and technologies like 2G and on top of which the reliability factor is way too down the drain. Half of the times , it doesn't even works properly.
The infrastructure is also several gen old. , but charges being asked are even higher than what a modern day tech should cost.

This all is BS. being held by strings of corruption in the top tiers b/w rich think-tanks of corporates and administration. Reason being obvious that they don't want to provide better service , because they are already getting revenue generated from old age tech.
Internet services in India suxx.

 

[SaiyanGoku]

internet in India, can't live with it, can't live without it.

Somebody should put some brains in those brain-dead people's heads.

 

[Anorion]

I thought a bit about this
it is impossible to stop such apps, or charge from only such apps
either you charge unreasonable amounts for all kinds of data (which is exactly what is happening by the way, that's about the only thing they can do), or there will always be a free replacement even if whatsapp, viber, wechat, kik, line start revenue sharing there will be a new one that comes up.

I don't even know what they are trying to monetize? push notifications? sorry, not gonna happen

 

[SaiyanGoku]

they just want app makers to give a part of their revenue for the bandwidth the apps use (which is resulting in telcos loosing sms/mms and call revenue). this amount is already paid by the user himself in the form of overpriced data packs
bottomline: they're asking for bribe.

 

[Anorion]

nah the app makers themselves are not making any revenue
there are almost no costs, something like whatsapp, the major cost is in sending the verification sms (which is why it was initially paid), and not hosting the servers that transfers the data. In fact, it was a pretty obvious application that just followed close on the heels of push notification becoming a feature in iOS. These TRAI guys as well as mobile companies probably have no clue about how such apps work, or the news is fatally flawed... because it is impossible to charge users specifically for using one kind of data and not another. I mean, what about tapatalk or twitter... not to mention skype or email, will all of those have such charges too? What about apps for other things, but which have chat feature, say Steam or the PlayStation app? Whatsapp, viber and "the likes" is toooo vast and too wild for anyone to interfere with. Then might as well uniformly increase the cost of all internet (again, this is their only move, and the one that they are using) if push comes to shove, maybe we can all start instant messaging using draw something. There are just too many ways for people to communicate.

 

[Hrishi]

nah the app makers themselves are not making any revenue
there are almost no costs, something like whatsapp, the major cost is in sending the verification sms (which is why it was initially paid), and not hosting the servers that transfers the data. In fact, it was a pretty obvious application that just followed close on the heels of push notification becoming a feature in iOS. These TRAI guys as well as mobile companies probably have no clue about how such apps work, or the news is fatally flawed... because it is impossible to charge users specifically for using one kind of data and not another. I mean, what about tapatalk or twitter... not to mention skype or email, will all of those have such charges too? Then might as well uniformly increase the cost of all internet (again, this is their only move, and the one that they are using) if push comes to shove, maybe we can all start instant messaging using draw something. There are just too many ways for people to communicate.

Exactly. My point.
This is lame and stupid to ask for something ike this.
Or else stop charging for data packs.

 

[Gollum]

Fukkkkkk TRAI - these scum want money from everyone for everything
things like sms should be free damnit and they still charge money for it.

And we are paying for the internet aren't we? what more do they want?

 

[Inceptionist]

they want more money.

what you want service for the money you paid them? f you. they'll just take your money and give pathetic service in return.

 

[saifi2649]

Achhe din dheere dheere aa rahe hai

 

[tovishal2001]

Corporate giants running the politics and making the decisions , most likely.
This is not what we asked for.
- - - Updated - - -
A frustrated typical Indian 2G Service and broadband User- "
This all is BS. being held by strings of corruption in the top tiers b/w rich think-tanks of corporates and administration. Reason being obvious that they don't want to provide better service , because they are already getting revenue generated from old age tech.
Internet services in India suxx.

TRAI is Corporate Mafia. If u study every decision they spend their time on, their focus is just this - how to protect interests of private Telecom companies.

Infact, some private companies(Sunil Mittal) were offering bribe to Congress for selling off BSNL's whole-india copper-wire assets so that Airtel can launch Broadband and become AT&T of India, but Congress backed off due to "dhamki" from BSNL union(big votebase).
Modi has been trained by his corporate advisers, he is little smarter. He will sell-off india with his non-sense logic. For example - "Why are we buying aircrafts from French company? Let them make aircrafts in India for us. Isn't this smart Swadeshi?" Now aam ramu won't understand why this is a bad deal. He still worships Namo baba.

Ask employee unions of any public sector firm and they will tell u news which you won't get from paid-media channels. They know all secrets of politicians.

 

[harshilsharma63]

This is stupid. Aren't the telecos getting paid for internet? If they want to charge WhatsApp then so should be each and every website on the Internet!!!

 

[Anorion]

^exactly

 

[msalah]

Do you have any idea that XXSIM giving free roaming in over 140 countries if you know about that please let me know so that i will go for that. thanks

 

[gopi_vbboy]

1.I think this wont happen because if one operator starts saying we wont charge for whatsapp then all will port to it.

2.what TRAI says sounds like
we will charge isp for emails via internet because post offices lost revenue.
we will charge dth operators as cable operators lost revenue
we will charge mobile call as landlines,std booths lost revenue

Oxymoron logic.

Perform or perish is what will happen.

3.It is difficult to control any app via charges.If you charge Whats-app , another app will come.
Which will only cause Streisand effect.So its not a good idea.

4. Namo needs to clean the UPA chamcha n corrupt babus in his govt with ice age mindset
or else Modi govt is no different than UPA3.

5.Its true that mobile operators lost revenue of voice. But Data revenue is even larger thing with smartphone growth.
If current govt promotes policy for data penetration of 3g and quality of broadband,
this kind of situation wont arise.

 

[gagan_kumar]

1.I think this wont happen because if one operator starts saying we wont charge for whatsapp then all will port to it.

2.what TRAI says sounds like
we will charge isp for emails via internet because post offices lost revenue.
we will charge dth operators as cable operators lost revenue
we will charge mobile call as landlines,std booths lost revenue

Oxymoron logic.

Perform or perish is what will happen.

3.It is difficult to control any app via charges.If you charge Whats-app , another app will come.
Which will only cause Streisand effect.So its not a good idea.

4. Namo needs to clean the UPA chamcha n corrupt babus in his govt with ice age mindset
or else Modi govt is no different than UPA3.

5.Its true that mobile operators lost revenue of voice. But Data revenue is even larger thing with smartphone growth.
If current govt promotes policy for data penetration of 3g and quality of broadband,
this kind of situation wont arise.

i think we all know how moronic can government steps could be , but what can we do, we are just a helpless bunch , discussing this in some forum which won't be even viewed by 1% of populus .........

its all about WHAT THE HELL CAN WE DO!!!!!