DoT Simplifies and Revises Guidelines for Other Service Providers

On Wednesday, the Department of Telecommunications, DoT, released a note saying that it has further simplified and revised guidelines for Other Service Providers (OSPs). The telecom department had liberalized these guidelines back in November last year.

General Guidelines for Other Service Providers

DoT has gone ahead and removed all distinctions between local and international OSPs. The telecom department said that now, OSPs based in India can register for free. Further, the telecom department has said that it will not ask for any Bank Guarantees.

The DoT has also specified a number of Special Dispensations for OSPs under the new guidelines:

• DoT has allowed OSPs to collect, convert, carry and exchange all incoming PSTN/PLMN/ISDN traffic over any wide area networking tech. This networking tech includes MPLS VPN/NPLC or SD-WAN over NPLC/MPLS VPN interconnecting various OSP centers.
• Further, the telecom department has allowed OSPs to carry aggregated switched voice traffic, that is, incoming and outgoing, between their POP and OSP centers in India.
• Also, DoT has allowed OSPs to interconnect calls between two or more OSP centers of the same company. OSPs can also do the same in case of different companies, and within the same group of companies.
• DoT has also allowed OSPs to interconnect remote agent to OSP center over any technology, including broadband over wireless/wireline.
• Lastly, DoT has allowed OSPs to share internet connection they acquire at a centralized location in India with their OSP centers.

The telecom department has also said that all the Other Service Providers that are not in the voice-based business will be exempted from the OSP guidelines. The DoT has also directed the OSPs to self-regulate, so that they don't infringe upon the jurisdiction of registered TSPs. OSPs won't have to submit any reports. However, the DoT has directed them to maintain Call Data Record, Usage Data Record and system logs for all calls. The DoT has said that the OSPs will have to maintain the record for one year.

Infrastructure Guidelines for Other Service Providers

DoT has described several guidelines for sharing infrastructure, using distributed infrastructure of EPABX and interconnection.  The telecom department has allowed OSPs to share infrastructure across their centers, including EPABX and PSTN/PLMN lines.

Also, DoT has said that though it will allow a OSP center in a foreign location, the OSP will have to take all measures necessary to comply with Indian law. Also, the OSP will have to maintain a copy of the CDR, UDR and system logs at a local OSP center.

The DoT has also lifted all data interconnection restrictions, within or without the company. However, for voice interconnectivity, DoT has allowed unrestricted interconnection only within the same company or group of companies.

With this, the telecom department also outlined how OSPs may use Distributed Architecture of EPABX across India. It said that OSPs need to have a main EPABX at a centralized location in India, and they can have media gateways at their centers. DoT also said that OSPs can also take EPABX from TSPs, if need be. The same is true for OSPs that don't make outgoing calls to the PSTN/PLMN in India.

Work-From-Home Guidelines for OSPs

Given the unprecedented situation caused by the pandemic, DoT has included WFH and WFA guidelines for OSPs. The telecom department said that it will treat all agents working from home as remote agents. Further, DoT has allowed interconnection from these remote agents over broadband as well, making it easier for OSPs to operate. The department has also allowed the remote agents to connect directly to the central EPABX of the customer.

However, the department has said that the OSPs still have to comply to toll-bypass regulation. OSPs will have to bear any and all toll-bypass related violations and the penalties that come with it.

Along with these regulations, DoT has outlined its Security Conditions as well. These include guidelines related to maintaining CDR, UDR and system logs, ensuring compliance and prohibiting OSPs from providing Telecom Services.