Telecom regulator Trai (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) on Tuesday opted for a free and fair access of internet in India, though allowing certain exemptions for ‘specialised services’.

In long-awaited recommendations on the matter, the Trai restricted any form of discrimination or interference in the treatment of content, including practices like blocking, degrading, slowing down or granting preferential speeds or treatment to any content.
Trai, however, said that ‘specialised services or other exclusions’ will not come under the purview of the recommendations.

Interestingly, the regulator also remained open to the adoption of “reasonable traffic management practices” by the service provider or mobile providers. This may give space to telecom companies to engage in certain activities where they can control the flow of content over their mobile services.

Elaborating on the ‘specialised services’ leeway, it said that these could be services which are not usable or offered as a replacement for internet access services. “…the provision of the specialised services is not detrimental to the availability and overall quality of internet access service,” Trai said.