The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India seems to be signaling that it could take another look at regulation of over the top voice and messaging apps, potentially seeking to apply at least some common carrier obligations and costs on OTT apps.
If there are 3.6 billion mobile users and four billion users of messaging apps, it is obvious why many worry about the potential impact of “no incremental cost” (“free”) over the top messaging and voice on carrier revenues.
That is a reasonable concern, given the fact that revenue models for services such as Line are based on game revenues, the core messaging functionality simply being a feature.
And, as is obvious, it is tough to sell what others give away. That is why some have estimated that OTT substitutes could cannibalize 25 percent to 40 percent of carrier messaging revenues in the relatively near term, in India and elsewhere.
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