Telecom operators may soon be coming out with their own online calling apps

• On 20 June the government issued a notice that allows individual telecom operators to offer their own online calling apps.
• The recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) were green-lit by the Telecom Commission.
  
• The only recommendation that wasn’t approved was where apps should have their own mobile numbering series.

If users want to make a call using the internet, they have to do it using a over-the-top service like Whatsapp or Facebook. But with latest government notice, telecom service providers like Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone can also enter the arena of internet telephony.

Following the recommendations made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) late last year, the Telecom Commission finally gave the green light last month, which the government followed with a notice on Wednesday, 20 June.

More or less, all the guidelines put down by TRAI were accepted by the Telecom Commission except for the one pertaining to these apps having their own mobile numbering series. This basically means that internet phone calls can be done using one service provider’s app even if you’re using the internet service provided by a different service provider.

Otherwise, users would have to been on the same network for on components for net calling to work.

As per reports, TRAI is going ahead with this venture to increase the rate of successful calls. It specifically applies to indoor areas where mobile signals may not be strong, but Wi-Fi or public hotspots are available.