The government of India on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that it would soon put in place a regulatory regime for Over-The-Top (OTT) services like WhatsApp, Facebook, Skype, WeChat and Google Talk, similar to one existing for all telecom operators.
The Department of Telecom's assertion comes in response to WhatsApp's affidavit in the SC taking a stand that the petition filed by one Karmanya Singh Sareen questioning its privacy policy was not maintainable.
According to DoT, OTTs use the network of telecom service providers to reach customers to offer App-based products and compete among themselves as well as telecom service providers by offering messaging and telephone services, but are not subjected to any regulation.
In an affidavit filed in the SC WhatsApp, however, said the petition filed by Karmanya Singh Sareen questioning its privacy policy was not maintainable as "OTT services are governed in some respect by the provisions of Information Technology Act, 2000 and are not subject to the same regulatory mechanism that is enforced on conventional voice and messaging services provided by telecom service providers".
Source: http://www.domain-b.com/industry/telecom/20170406_services.html