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In a bid to guard their DTH pursuits, Bharti Airtel has requested the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to create a regulatory framework for content material aired on broadband networks. Airtel’s ask is in direct competition with Reliance Jio, who’s delivering tv content material by way of OTT apps utilizing wi-fi and wireline telecom networks.
Because the 5G rollout will unlock larger information switch speeds with low latency, telecom networks would be the subsequent massive content material supply expertise. As a substitute of utilizing cable or DTH to observe your favorite reveals and films, customers now favor to stream their favorite content material on sensible TVs and cellular units.
Whereas India has a bigger DTH and cable market than most international locations, that is set to say no as broadband companies turn into extra superior.
Want for regulation
Nonetheless in contrast to the prevailing distribution platforms, equivalent to DTH, IPTV, MSO and HITS, content material supply utilizing wireline and wi-fi broadband companies shouldn’t be regulated by the Centre. Furthermore, Jio is best positioned to offer content material utilizing broadband compared to Bharti Airtel, as a result of Jio has a superior spectrum portfolio to Bharti. Bharti Airtel additionally has a DTH platform, ‘Airtel DTH’ which will probably be adversely affected by elevated proliferation of internet-based content material supply platforms.
Which is why Airtel has requested TRAI for broadcasting content material utilizing wi-fi and wireline broadband beneath the regulatory fold. Airtel argues that the dearth of a regulatory framework for broadcast content material being delivered by way of wi-fi and wireline broadband companies on giant screens has created an anti-competitive setting for aggressive applied sciences equivalent to DTH, IPTV, MSO and HITS.
“This convergence of carriage medium with differential remedy of regulation, is analomous and results in threat of unregulated entry of similar broadcasting content material. Content material broadcasting beneath DPOs will get coated by TRAI’s should carry should present precept and NTO, however no such regulation exists for content material being broadcast on broadband community,” mentioned Airtel.
Professionals and Cons
Airtel additionally highlights that beneath present web neutrality guidelines, telecom suppliers can safe unique content material and distribution rights for a preferred broadcasting programme and bundle it at a lovely worth for its personal subscribers. Reliance Jio is the one telecom firm that additionally has a sister broadcasting arm, Viacom. Reliance has additionally been aggressive about buying common content material equivalent to IPL on a premium to additional broaden its digital and telecom enterprise. Whereas Jio has not utilized discriminatory bundling ways but, beneath present web neutrality guidelines, it will probably achieve this. Airtel is asking for regulatory oversight for such cases.
Jio in the meantime doesn’t need the prevailing laws to alter in any respect. Reliance Jio wrote to the regulator – “There appears to be no must re-engineer the prevailing regulatory and administration processes. Additional, because the Telecommunication legal guidelines are already being recast beneath the draft Telecommunication Invoice 2022, any change in regulation ought to be proposed solely after there’s a full readability within the proposed telecommunication legislation,” it mentioned.
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