Content Delivery Networks (CDN) companies in India have opposed the telecom regulator’s plan to regulate them, arguing that they are not telecom operators and do not fall under the authority’s regulatory ambit. CDN is a geographically distributed group of servers that work together to provide fast delivery of internet content.
The executives were speaking at a virtual open-house discussion hosted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The regulator has sought industry suggestions on whether CDNs should be brought under a new network authorisation regime and the terms and conditions required.
CDN companies, including the Motion Picture Association (MPA), Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA), and Broadband India Forum (BIF), have argued that CDNs only cache and deliver content, instead of establishing end-to-end communication. Accordingly, the quality-of-service rules of telecom services and net neutrality obligations are not applicable to CDNs.
According to BIF, the quality-of-service rules of telecom services and net neutrality obligations are not applicable to CDNs. Meanwhile, as per MPA India, a competitive and dynamic CDN market in India has seen price cuts and technological advancements with no evidence of market failure warranting government regulation.
Telcos, on the other hand, said CDNs should continue to be governed by market forces and there was no need for regulatory interventions. However, they called for certain obligations on them.
