80
t e n
W
e have some great news here. Indian
Netizens might just be bidding adieu to G02 Call.com, Net2Phone.com,
Net Call.com and some of the countless Websites that exist, that allowed them
entry into the hitherto forbidden world of Internet telephony. For a while now, a
number of Indian cyber voyagers (like their contemporaries in other countries)
have been speaking to friends and family in the US and UK using, no not the
normal ISD facilities, but rather the free Internet options offered by tempting Web
sites. The garden of Eden of Internet Telephony boasts countless serpents, who
have been luring users to take the quick, easy and zero cost route to long-distance
voice communication.
No doubt, the activity did come with its fair share of glitches. Sound drops, delayed
voice responses and broken connections were just some of the problems Indian
Netizens had to face to speak to overseas destinations.
Besides, since voice over-IP had not been allowed in India, such a phone journey by
Net users represented an evasion of rules, a trip into domains that were out of our
bounds, a secret, illegal exercise.
However, some changes in the scenario are on the horizon. The Prime Minister
has already got the ball rolling by appointing a group of ministers (headed by
Mr. Yashwant Sinha and including Mr. Pramod Mahajan, Ms. Sushma Swaraj and
Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan) to look into the issue. This group is in the final stages
of giving shape to the Convergence Bill. At the same time, the
Communications Ministry is also talking about reviewing all tariff related matters
by mid-2001. The general expectation is that once the Convergence Bill is passed
by the Parliament and tariff rationalization takes place, voice over-IP or Internet
Telephony will become legal in India. Experts believe this will happen anytime
between mid-2001 and March 2002.
The Asian Age December 27, 2000
Internet Telephony To Be Legalised?
