In a letter to Dr Neeraj Mittal, secretary (T), Department of Telecommunications (DoT), the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said that with growing use of artificial intelligence (AI), investments in networks will increase multi-fold. Substantial investments are required to be made by telcos for graphics processing unit (GPU)-based high-speed servers to support demand of AI-based applications as well as high-definition video streaming by several apps that are also referred as larger traffic generators (LTGs).
COAI also suggested that LTGs need to share their revenue with telcos for building networks which could help in giving better experience to their users. While the telcos will put in a lot of capital, some LTGs will continue to enjoy a free ride on the infrastructure, making the business unviable and uneconomical for the operators.
As per the COAI, the increasing convergence of diverse verticals and technologies is expected to lead to more bandwidth-heavy applications emerging, applying further pressure on the networks, and necessitating heavier investments in the same. Apart from that, 5G and 6G in future also need deployments on the edge with enhanced network capabilities. The new applications will put further strain on the networks.
The letter highlighted that responsible contribution from those benefiting immensely from the Indian telecom infrastructure and networks would be paramount to secure a healthy and progressive future for the Digital India.
On the other hand, the demand has been opposed by various advocacy groups and industry bodies like Broadband India Forum, which said the revenue sharing would throttle innovation and adversely impact startup ecosystems.
Furthermore, COAI added that newer technologies will also bring about newer demands, such as video optimisation on over-the-top (OTT) streaming platforms, whereby many different versions of a video with different resolutions and other technical characteristics are saved and loaded in the network.
