Telecom Commission approves interconnect agreements between service providers and operators

The Telecom Commission has also granted approval to interconnect agreements between internet service providers and telecom operators. The move will allow consumers to make landline and mobile calls from over-the-top applications such as Skype, WhatsApp and Viber. This comes after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) recommendations to allow interconnect agreements for voice over internet protocol (IP) services. The government will now make changes to the unified licence conditions to allow interconnection of IP networks. Further, TRAI is likely to set interconnection charges for internet calls after the government makes amendments to the licence framework.