Proposed tighter OTT regulations in Africa: Robbing Peter to pay Paul?

A news report by IT Web Africa (http://www.itwebafrica.com/ict-and-governance/523-africa/236983-africa-to-propose-tighter-ott-regulation-at-global-meeting, African Telecommunications Union (ATU) “proposes what it describes as 'the coordination of action in favour of regulation of OTT (Over-The-Top) services at regional and global.levels. ATU says OTT operators do not invest in the development of the telecommunication infrastructures of developing countries, but create value over the top of networks of telephone operators without paying them financial compensation."
ATU’s proposal (which is a collation of views of African member states) will be.presented inthe World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-16) taking place in Tunisia.

ATU’s proposal (which is a collation of views of African member states) will be.presented in the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA-16) taking place in Tunisia.

What ATU and its member states are saying is that free services we get through WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, Skype and their like are denying MTN, Airtel, Safaricom, Glo, Etisalat and their fellow companies the revenue that ought to be accruing to them. One implication of this is that if ATU fails to get the OTT providers to be paying telephone operators, telephone operators may be permitted to charge increased fees for their services. Another implication is that if OTT providers start paying to deliver the Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services, they may be compelled to begin charging users of the services. Either way, very many Africans will be affected negatively.

While we feel for traditional telecom operators as they are being shortchanged by OTT services in terms of revenue, we should bear in mind the openness of the Internet and the freedom and justness it guarantees for millions of Africans.  We should also remember that residents of African countries have their choices to make regarding what they use/consume in relation to their income and socio-political needs, and our governments have a duty to enlarge the space for such choices.

It’s more critically worth noting that WhatsApp, Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger and their siblings are increasingly being used in education throughout Africa and are making more student engagement and improved learning possible. More Africans who hitherto had little access to education are now embracing quality education in various forms at various levels through these free services. 

All these demand high level caution as we propose meaningful regulations that will govern OTT services in Africa, so that we don’t rob Peter to pay Paul. I wish ATU and all African delegates to World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly (WTSA-16)  thoughtful presentations and deliberations.

Acknowledgement:

I thank Myles Freedman for drawing my attention to the news through Extensia's Weekly Telecom and ICT Headlines (http://extensia-ltd.com/) he usually sends to my e-mail box.