WhatsApp, Signal, and other OTT services may not require a business license

After the Department of Telecommunications published the draught Indian Telecommunications Bill proposing that OTT communication apps such as Whatsapp obtain a government licence, the industry reacted negatively to this clause.

While the government is discussing the bill with industry stakeholders, services such as WhatsApp and Signal may not require licences to operate. Following the discussions, it was agreed that these apps should focus on the user protection provisions proposed in the legislation. A second draught of the Bill will be released for further discussion, incorporating the changes and initial suggestions from the industry.