Table of contents
- The Draft Indian Telecommunication Bill 2022 is the framework that TRAI will use to police platforms that provide internet calling and messaging services within the country.
- The Indian government has pressured OTT platforms to seek telecom licenses for calling services, and Zoom has asked for authorization to offer its globally popular Zoom Phone Service in India.
- The primary objective of Zoom's current approach is to bridge the technological divide and increase the accessibility of Zoom meetings on Meta's Horizon Worlds Platforms.
The US-based communications platform Zoom Video Communications Inc. has applied for permission from the Indian government to offer its popular Zoom Phone service in India. Zoom's CEO for Asia Pacific, Ricky Kapur, claims they are working through the regulatory procedure to offer it in India soon (1).
Zoom Phone is a cloud-based VoIP service that enables companies to make phone calls utilizing the Zoom software platform. VoIP stands for voice over internet protocol. The business's plan comes when the Indian government pressures OTT players like WhatsApp and Zoom to obtain telecom licenses to offer calling services.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) (2) was tasked by the Department of Telecom (DoT) (3) in August with developing a framework for policing platforms that provide internet calling and messaging services within the nation.
In September, the draft Indian Telecommunication Bill 2022, made available for public comment, included a proposal that OTT platforms that provide telecom services seek licenses like telecom carriers.
The specific type of license and clearances needed to offer its Zoom Phone service in India has not been specified by Kapur. In September, the Cisco subsidiary Webex India became the first OTT provider to be granted a telecom license in India (4).
At the time, Cisco stated that the license would enable the business to provide its Indian customers with improved Webex collaboration capabilities. Businesses utilize Webex, like Zoom, for video conferencing, phone calls, etc.
According to Kapur, they are committed to helping their Indian users and anticipate introducing phone calling features that are as simple and comfortable to use as Zoom meetings.
The company said India is a strategically significant Zoom market with a strong, successful business. Zoom also launched more products there to expand its partnerships with local software and hardware ecosystems, distributors, and developers.
Continued by saying that third-party platforms incorporating Zoom's SDK (Software Development Kit) for voice, video, and chat will experience growth because developers also use these to create apps that draw on the features and services offered by other apps.
In Chennai, Zoom built its second technology center in India in April, after the opening of its Bengaluru location in July 2020. Numerous pandemic-era trends are being reversed as the administration takes back power.
Due to a rush for video conferencing during the pandemic, Zoom's popularity soared. However, as countries relaxed mobility restrictions and the company faced intense competition from rivals Microsoft and Cisco, demand for video conferencing was slowing.
According to Kapur, Zoom is constantly searching for new business opportunities and is transitioning from being a popular app for video conferencing to a comprehensive communications platform that supports all forms of communication. Users are also actively utilizing metaverse features like virtual avatars in Zoom meetings.
Zoom is closely observing the types of experiments users are conducting on websites like Meta's Horizon Worlds and the fact that only some people are working virtually five days a week but that there will be days when only half of the staff members are present in the office.
Zoom also aims to use technology to bridge the two communities as Zoom meetings are accessible on Meta's Horizon Worlds platforms, which are at the core of that company's strategy for creating new metaverses.
