Re: Airtel wants to pierce net neutrality, charges more for VoIP

We  should allow Airtel to charge for VOIP or streaming if market would let it do so.  And we should also allow consumers to choose a provider with whom they agree on charges and service levels. This will bring more profits into the industry which will be then followed by more suppliers trying to take a share out of that profit.   The consumers best bet is a strong competition providers, a  market in which suppliers are fighting like cats and dogs for business from consumers. 

  The problem is VOIP is prohibited in India ( My knowledge of Indian telecom my be outdated. I would like to be excused and corrected if the facts have changed).  The consumers will immensely benefit if we have free competition among providers and consumer use their purchasing power and market knowledge to  pick the right services. These kind of disputes will disappear if the market is freed and innovation is allowed in product and services. 

Some have suggested net-neutrality. All the talk of net-neutrality is a backdoor effort to bring more government interference into already  substandard internet/telecom market in India. We may like to talk of fancy words like net-neutrality and what not. But, I think the focus should be on making high quality internet available to anyone who is willing to pay market price for it.


If I have to make a choice between net-neutrality and net-availability.  Net-availability will be my choice.  I do not want an inferior internet that net-neutrality will bring.

Instead suggesting more restrictions on Airtel, why do we not petition for opening markets and removing legal barriers on commercialization of any technology?

Sincerely,
Ratnendra Pandey






Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 06:40:24 +0530
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
CC: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [india-gii] Airtel wants to pierce net neutrality, charges more for VoIP

Is anyone aware of any organised response / reaction to this issue? The line silence is deafening
On Thu, Dec 25, 2014 at 10:51 PM, Srini RamaKrishnan <[email protected]> wrote:
Airtel to charge up to 16 times* the standard data rate for using

Skype and other VoIP services



Airtel seems to be implying that this move has TRAI sanction.



*per rate mentioned in other newspapers



--



Airtel wants you to pay extra for using Skype, Viber, more



If you use services like Skype or Viber to make calls over Airtel's

mobile data network, be prepared to pay extra. Yes, we know you

already pay Airtel for for that data. Doesn't matter. Airtel has added

this line to the terms and conditions of its 2G and 3G data plans:

"All Internet/data packs or plans (through which customer can avail

discounted rate) shall only be valid for internet browsing and will

exclude VoIP (Both incoming/ Outgoing). VoIP over data connectivity

would be charged at standard data rates of 4p / 10 KB (3G service) and

10p / 10 KB (2G service)."



VoIP, or Voice over IP, simply means voice data that is tranferred

over the internet. The next time you're shooting the breeze on Viber,

Skype or Google Hangouts on your phone, keep in mind that Airtel will

charge you you even if you're already paying for that data.



Airtel's move flies in the face of net neutrality, which is a hot

topic round the globe. In the United States, for instance, there is a

proposal to provide "fast lanes" for data intensive video-streaming

services like Netflix and Hulu. Simply put, internet services

providers want to charge these companies extra for carrying their bits

to the consumer, even though the consumers are already paying the

service providers for internet access in the first place. Last month,

President Barack Obama came out strongly in support of net neutrality

by saying that "a free and open internet was as critical to Americans'

lives as electricity and telephone service and should be regulated

like those utilities to protect consumers."



The timing of this move isn't surprising. Whatsapp, which has wiped

off a large part of SMS revenues for mobile service providers in

India, has long been rumoured to introduce voice-calling over data.

Indians already pay some of the lowest rates in the world for voice

calls and carriers like Airtel are afraid that once people start using

data to make voice calls, these revenues will be wiped out as well.



Indeed, in August, the Telecom Regulation Authority of India (TRAI)

had quashed a proposal from Indian telecom companies to charge

over-the-top players like Whatsapp and Viber extra "connectivity

charges." TRAI stated that telcos could make up for the lost revenue

with the increase in mobile data usage.



In a statement to Hindustan Times, an Airtel spokesperson said: "We

have made some revisions in the composition of our data packs, and

will offer VoIP (Voice over internet protocol) connectivity through an

independent pack that will be launched shortly. Our customers can

continue enjoying voice calls over data connectivity by opting for

this VoIP pack, or simply use VoIP services on pay-as-you-go basis."



Which basically means this: unless you buy a seperate VoIP pack,

you'll be charged extra for making calls using Skype, Viber and other

services. If you don't think net neutrality is something to lose sleep

over yet, think about this: If it's VoIP today, operators might start

charging you extra to stream YouTube or use a music service like Saavn

tomorrow. It is not immediately clear if other operators will follow

Airtel's move.



http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/1300013.aspx

© Copyright © 2013 HT Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.



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