New Delhi, India- being the land of Buddha means having people adhere to the philosophy of the Enlightened. For users of free call and chat apps like Viber, Skype and WhatsApp, this can possibly mean that the services they enjoy will not be free of charge anymore.
"India is the Land of Buddha, who preached the middle path." The committe stated on its report.
Times of India reported that a high level government committee in the country has suggested that the service be charged the same way as mobile networks. This is intended to be applied to the use of local call features of the said apps. The committee also suggests that the zero-rating apps be viewed and treated in a case to case basis, which may show partiality to apps that have greater financial backing.
The committee also pointed out that calls made from the apps are about six times more affordable than those made from regular mobile networks. In addition, they do not have to comply with the same licensing rules, fees, and processes other mobile carriers have to put up with.
The report regarding the committee's suggestions and concerns over what it calls "net neutrality" has amounted to over 100 pages. It cites that the playing field where mobile calls and local app calls compete is a "major concern for policy makers". The suggestions, if implemented, are seen as a way to address them.
"The committee unhesitatingly recommends that the core principles of net neutrality must be adhered to", says the report, and then adds. "Clearly, the debate on Net Neutrality is multi-dimensional and solution to this cannot therefore be uni-dimensional."
The chat and international call features of such apps will still be free of charge. Skype, Viber, and WhatsApp have not commented on the issue as of this writing.
Many places in India have little to no internet access. Almost all of those who do have internet access use mobile features for connection. Recently, social networking giant Facebook has launched its free internet and mobile data project in the country. The project has also been implemented in other developing countries such as South Africa. The service has also been cited by the committee as one that does not adhere to the philosophy.
