Embracing Change: The Revised DoT OSP Guidelines in India

26 Jul Embracing Change: The Revised DoT OSP Guidelines in India

Embracing Change: The Revised DoT OSP Guidelines in India

The telecom industry in India, like any other, is an ever-evolving space. Keeping in step with the demand for flexible work solutions and innovative technologies, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) recently revised its Other Service Provider (OSP) Guidelines.

The revised guidelines, announced in 2021, have streamlined the regulations for Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and IT Enabled Services (ITES) companies, making it easier for these organizations to provide and expand their services.

In the past, BPO and ITES companies were bound by a stringent set of rules under the OSP guidelines that sometimes hampered their growth and innovation. The revamped guidelines aim to mitigate these restrictions and create a more conducive environment for businesses to thrive.

One of the major changes in the revised guidelines is the elimination of the registration requirement for OSPs. This has been a significant relief for many businesses as it simplifies their operations and removes the administrative burdens associated with maintaining registration.

Furthermore, the definitions of OSPs have been simplified, and terms like ‘domestic’ and ‘international OSP’ have been removed. This indicates a shift towards a more inclusive and global outlook.

The concept of ‘work from home’ and ‘work from anywhere’ has been recognized and embraced, which is a significant move considering the Covid-19 pandemic situation and the emerging trend of remote working. The requirement for depositing bank guarantees, the need for static IPs, frequent reporting obligations, and other procedural requirements have been done away with, thereby providing much-needed flexibility to OSPs.

The revised guidelines also make it easier for companies to engage in interconnectivity between all types of OSP centers. The restrictions on data and voice traffic have been eased, allowing OSP centers to carry aggregated switch data from EPABX of the customer across international borders, subject to lawful interception and monitoring requirements.

While these changes are certainly a breath of fresh air for the IT and BPO industry in India, it is essential for companies to understand these revised guidelines thoroughly. They need to ensure their business operations are aligned with these changes to fully leverage the benefits offered.

OSP is a term used by the DoT in India to refer to companies or organizations that provide IT-enabled services using telecom resources to their internal user or customers. This includes services such as telebanking, telemedicine, tele-education, tele-trading, e-commerce, call center, network operation centers, and other IT Enabled Services.

OSPs in India were required to comply with specific guidelines issued by the DoT.  Most of the restriction are liberalized. Here’s a basic rundown of how these guidelines work:

• No Registration Required: OSPs are required to register with the DoT. There were two categories of OSP registration, domestic and international.
• No Bank Guarantee: For Logical Partitioning between IP and PSTN connectivity, No Bank Guarantee is required. This is as per Revised OSP Guidelines dated 23rd June 2021.
• Infrastructure Sharing: OSPs are allowed to share the infrastructure (physical and telecom) for their domestic and international OSP centers.
• EPABX Location: The EPABX (Electronic Private Automatic Branch Exchange) of the OSP can be located in India or outside India.
• Interconnectivity: Domestic OSPs can have Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)/ Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN)/ Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) connectivity. However, they cannot have Voice over IP (VoIP) interconnection with PSTN/PLMN/ISDN.
• Security Conditions: OSPs are required to provide the necessary data and information as required by law enforcement agencies. Additionally, they are required to ensure the privacy of the customer and the confidentiality of the customer’s information.
• Records and Logs: OSPs are required to maintain logs and records of their operations for a certain (minimum one year) period.
• Work from Home / Work from Anywhere allowed: Internet is allowed only between Work-from-Home agent locations to respective OSP centres/sites (typically Office).  As and when voice reaches to OSP site, further Internet is not allowed, and it should be through private connectivity only, such as Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Point-to-Point (P2P), or National Private Leased Circuit (NPLC), etc.
• Documentation Required: Maintaining the copy of Call Detail Records (CDRs), Usage Detail Records (UDRs), System logs, configurations, Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDR) for the internet, and routing tables from the OSP site in India.  Remote access to this data should be made available to authorities on demand.  This data should be maintained for one year in a tamper-proof format and CDRs should be as per IST format.

You may refer to my previous blogposts to more location-based routing and DoT rules for VoIP and PSTN.

Microsoft Teams Location-based Routing policy and Revised OSP Guideline for Work from Anywhere scenarios: “This blog post provides an in-depth look at Microsoft Teams’ Location-Based Routing policy, particularly in the context of India’s revised Other Service Provider (OSP) guidelines. It explores how these guidelines impact the work-from-anywhere scenarios, considering the regulatory constraints and opportunities. Readers will gain insight into the interplay between regulatory policy, telecommunication norms, and digital collaboration tools.”: https://bloguc.com/microsoft-teams-location-based-routing-policy-and-revised-osp-guideline-for-work-from-anywhere-scenarios/

Understanding India’s Telecom Regulation DoT Rules – A Focus on Microsoft Teams and VoIP and PSTN: “This informative post delves into the intricacies of India’s telecom regulation, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) rules, with a specific focus on the use of Microsoft Teams, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) in the country. It presents a clear understanding of these complex rules and their implications for users and providers of these digital communication services in India.” https://bloguc.com/understanding-indias-telecom-regulation-dot-rules-a-focus-on-microsoft-teams-and-voip-and-pstn/

In conclusion, the revised DoT OSP guidelines demonstrate the Indian government’s commitment to reducing regulatory burdens and promoting ease of doing business. It’s an encouraging move that supports the industry’s growth while acknowledging the changing nature of workspaces worldwide. As we move forward, these revisions are likely to fuel innovation, competition, and growth in India’s telecom industry.

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