Bharti Airtel has asked the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India to give approval to a streaming video service it wants to offer in India, operating as a managed service, not an “Internet” service available over the top.
That move was almost inevitable in the wake of a ruling by TRAI that zero rating and sponsored apps are unlawful in India. A “big global content provider” wants t work with Airtel to create the new service.
In India, managed services are known as “closed electronic communication networks” (CECN), and can be likened to TV broadcast, radio broadcast or cable TV and satellite video services that are likewise “managed services,” not over the top Internet apps.
Mobile operators, it is fair to say, are frustrated by TRAI’s inability to specify how CECNs can operate, as a practical matter.
The issue is not use of Internet Protocol, or IP networks, or mobile bandwidth used for Internet access. The issue is the “managed,” and therefore “closed” nature of a managed network, where access is restricted to subscribers to such services.
One could have predicted that service providers would explore managed services, in the wake of the TRAI decision. Indian mobile operatros, no less than mobile operators elsewhere, are exploring new revenue sources and roles in the mobile ecosystem.
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