Internet telephony: Internet service moot a level playing field

Now, ISPs and UASL (Unified Access Services License) licensee can provide Internet telephony service in India unrestricted following a Government order. The order comes into effect from January 1, 2007.

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Dec 27, 2006 9:16 AM  | 4 min read
Internet telephony: Internet service moot a level playing field

Now, ISPs and UASL (Unified Access Services License) licensee can provide Internet telephony service in India unrestricted following a Government order. As per the guidelines for issue of permission to offer Internet telephony services, the order stated, “Only ISP licensees are permitted within their service area to offer such Internet services. Subsequently, January 1, 2006 this service has also been included within the UASL.”

Final touches are being given to a proposal under which ITES companies must furnish the names of authorised service providers from whom bandwidth and Internet telephony minutes have been taken. The companies will also have to give an undertaking that they will not use the services of unlicensed foreign service providers such as Net2Phone, Vonage, Dialpad, Impetus, Novanet, Euros, Skype and Yahoo!.

Rajesh Chharia, President, Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI), said, “Un-restricted Internet telephony has been allowed to the UASL. It should naturally be allowed to ISPs as it is bread and butter for them. It will be an effective tool in spreading broadband services in remote and rural areas along with voice.”

He further said, “Neither the 12.24 per cent service tax nor the 6 per cent AGR (proposed) should be applicable on Indian ISPs offering Internet telephony services. Foreign service providers should be brought under the Indian licensing regime.”

“It has come to our notice that the Department of Telecom has not issued any new licenses for ISPs as well as licensees for provisioning of Internet telephony by existing ISPs. A number of potential investors and applicants, including those with FDI proposals, are awaiting license. This delay, if allowed to carry on, will result in investment moving into other countries, thereby directly effecting growth of Internet, including broadband, in India,” warned Chharia.

Anupam Mittal, Chairman and MD, People Group, which runs the social networking site Fropper.com, said, “The government blocks websites using Internet protocol filters. However, anonymisers, URL redirection services, anonymous surfing via a proxy server are very popular among general Internet users in these countries to bypass the banned content.”

Content can never be checked and the Indian government seems to be learning this the hard way. Earlier this year, the Maoist website, www.peoplesmarch.com, was blocked under government directions. The site went off the Internet for a short period and then reappeared as http://peoplesmarch.googlepages.com.

Krishna Prasad, Head of Programming, Windows Live and MSN India, said, “Content can never be controlled on the Internet, there are so many different ways to put the same content on different places. False IDs, masked IPs and other technologies allow you to keep shifting content all the time.”

Adding to the worries of containing websites, now the Department of Telecom is working on a proposal to monitor and monetise unlicenced Internet telephony providers. But then again there are options to services like Skype.

Said Mittal, “Jingle, which operates on open protocol, is the best alternative to VoIP services like Coccinella, Google Talk, Kopete and Tapioca.” Moreover, VoIP providers can even have caller IDs as VoIP engines can easily forge this.

Chharia suggested that Government should encourage more and more companies to become ISPs so as to spread the use of broadband across the country and bridge the digital divide. The pending licensee may pleased be cleared expeditiously.

According to official sources, foreign players such as Skype, in addition to disturbing the level-playing field for bonafide licensees, were also causing great revenue loss to the Government, as they did not pay the 12 per cent service tax and 6 per cent revenue share on Internet telephony. Sources said that the Department of Telecom was keen to implement this move on security grounds too. Foreign service providers could be a serious security threat as they did not come under any Indian regulator and policy framework.

Chharia further said that Government should encourage more and more companies to become ISPs so as to spread the use of broadband across the country and bridge the digital divide.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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