With the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) lately initiating key steps to enable masses rake in the benefits of technological advancements; the authority today floated a consultation paper on ‘Issues Related to Internet Telephony’, following the release of consultation paper on ‘Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) and ‘Carrier Selection’ earlier in the month.

Internet telephony, an IP based service, which has attracted attention of policy makers, regulators and end users, has recently been posed with grave regulatory challenges.

The newly released consultation paper addresses melange of issues related to provision of Internet Telephony in India such as - the need and timing to relax present regulatory restriction as vis-à-vis internet telephony in existing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) licensing regime. The paper also highlights the international experiences on this aspect so as to comprehend the present scenario in other countries.

Some of the other issues discussed in the paper comprise of – permitting ISPs to provide internet telephony to call PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network)/ PLMN ( Public Land Mobile Network)  subscribers within the country, numbering issues, emergency number dialling, effective monitoring and lawful interception. Issues related to interoperability, standardization and QoS and interconnection with PSTN/PLMN including applicability of present IUC regime are also dealt with.

The paper calls on the stakeholders to rejoin their comments by 9th June, 08.