BTRC plans OTT apps guidelines

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is planning to introduce guidelines on Over-the-Top (OTT) applications. This will help it monitor the number of calls made by subscribers using OTT applications (apps). Announcing this at a press conference on Friday, BTRC chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood said BTRC will introduce guidelines on OTT applications in two to three months so that the regulator can monitor the process through which these work. BTRC can then monitor the calls made by using these applications.
He added that according to the BTRC’s findings, there were more than 11 crore legal call terminations last year. But this year, the figure has dropped to 7 to 8 crore. The drop was not only because of illegal Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) but also because of the usage of OTT applications.
OTT applications are those in which one can call and message at lower costs by using apps and services such as Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, Tango, and Hangout, if they have an internet connection. That is why customers are now moving away from direct calls.
Talking to The Independent, the head of the technical department of an international gateway (IGW) operator said, “The usage of OTT applications will increase and nothing can be done to stop that. But dealing with it effectively is the issue now.” He added that the users of these applications numbered 1 million last year, but he thinks that the number has doubled this year. People connected with this business also said that not only international calls but local calls are also being done using OTT applications. The BTRC had earlier said that direct calls made per day have dropped to 7 million minutes. The number of direct calls made per day has declined significantly due to the increasing use of OTT applications such as Skype, Viber and other apps. “One million calls were generated at the end of last year, while the number has declined this year,” said a BTRC official. The chief marketing officer of an IGW operator said, “The number of calls will fall even further as most of the time people place a ‘missed call’ when they call aboard and wait for their friends or relatives to call back, as calling other countries using a landline is costlier than calls made through OTT apps.” With the popularity of smartphones rising, the number of calls using OTT apps is set to increase, he said. The video call option in OTT apps is another reason for their increasing popularity and decline in international calls using a landline. BTRC secretary Md Sarwar Alam said the use of smartphones has increased by almost 200 per cent in 2014–2015 compared with 2013–2014. BTRC launched its 3G service in October 2013. However, the state-owned mobile phone operator, Teletalk, started the service before that.

BTRC plans OTT apps guidelines

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is planning to introduce guidelines on Over-the-Top (OTT) applications. This will help it monitor the number of calls made by subscribers using OTT applications (apps). Announcing this at a press conference on Friday, BTRC chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood said BTRC will introduce guidelines on OTT applications in two to three months so that the regulator can monitor the process through which these work. BTRC can then monitor the calls made by using these applications. He added that according to the BTRCs findings, there were more than 11 crore legal call terminations last year. But this year, the figure has dropped to 7 to 8 crore. The drop was not only because of illegal Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) but also because of the usage of OTT applications. OTT applications are those in which one can call and message at lower costs by using apps and services such as Skype, Viber, WhatsApp, Tango, and Hangout, if they have an internet connection. That is why customers are now moving away from direct calls. Talking to The Independent, the head of the technical department of an international gateway (IGW) operator said, The usage of OTT applications will increase and nothing can be done to stop that. But dealing with it effectively is the issue now. He added that the users of these applications numbered 1 million last year, but he thinks that the number has doubled this year. People connected with this business also said that not only international calls but local calls are also being done using OTT applications. The BTRC had earlier said that direct calls made per day have dropped to 7 million minutes. The number of direct calls made per day has declined significantly due to the increasing use of OTT applications such as Skype, Viber and other apps. One million calls were generated at the end of last year, while the number has declined this year, said a BTRC official. The chief marketing officer of an IGW operator said, The number of calls will fall even further as most of the time people place a missed call when they call aboard and wait for their friends or relatives to call back, as calling other countries using a landline is costlier than calls made through OTT apps. With the popularity of smartphones rising, the number of calls using OTT apps is set to increase, he said. The video call option in OTT apps is another reason for their increasing popularity and decline in international calls using a landline. BTRC secretary Md Sarwar Alam said the use of smartphones has increased by almost 200 per cent in 20142015 compared with 20132014. BTRC launched its 3G service in October 2013. However, the state-owned mobile phone operator, Teletalk, started the service before that.