Regulatory Sandbox in telecom could lead to risks: Airtel

Airtel has opposed the telecom regulator’s proposal to introduce a regulatory sandbox (RS) as it might convey unexpected challenges and related dangers together with restricted technical capability and experience.

Based on Airtel, the concept of a sandbox is healthier for fintech sector the place using know-how and innovation is comparatively nascent. 

“The Sandbox is used extra ubiquitously within the monetary sector than another equally regulated sector, primarily due to the goal of policymakers to extend monetary inclusion via revolutionary options. Actually, globally, the fintech sector makes use of such Sandboxes to assist perceive the rising traits and dangers related to the launch of recent monetary merchandise and devices. Nevertheless, the utilization of RS within the telecom sector, a sector completely different from the FinTech sector by way of scale, technical and regulatory features, is just not widespread in any respect. Only some international locations have established the RS framework of their telecom sector,” Airtel mentioned in its submission to the TRAI.

Hostile outcomes 

The operators mentioned that since RS is a really new idea within the Indian telecom sector, this will convey with it varied unexpected challenges and related dangers together with restricted technical capability and experience for working the RS in addition to the danger of aggressive considerations available in the market due to the waiver of sure laws. “The dangers may additionally result in hostile outcomes for the shopper. Subsequently, it is vitally necessary that these dangers are continuously monitored proper from the preliminary levels of conceptualisation and operationalisation to the ultimate stage of exiting the RS,” Airtel added. 

Airtel mentioned there have additionally been profitable alternate options which have helped allow the deployment of superior applied sciences. 

The operators mentioned RS is just not important contemplating that “we now have different established alternate options corresponding to revolutionary testbeds within the Centres of Excellence (CoE), trial environments, experimentation platforms and so forth. Establishments such because the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) via its working teams, work collaboratively with varied entities within the know-how improvement and standardisation domains. Equally, the Authorities’s goal of creating 100 5G testbeds may even change into a extra significant method to check and trial technological options than an RS primarily based one,” it added.