Airtel's chief flags regulatory overreach in telecom sector

Telcos face disproportionate regulatory burden compared to other digital players, Vittal said

- Jatin Grover

Phone services major Bharti Airtel’s managing director (MD) and vice chairman Gopal Vital on Wednesday raised concerns about increasing regulatory overreach in the telecom sector despite its limited role in areas such as digital trust and security.

Speaking at the India Mobile Congress, the telecom industry’s flagship annual event in New Delhi, Vittal said telecom operators are being disproportionately burdened with regulations compared to other players in the digital ecosystem.

He also reiterated the need for further tariff hikes in the industry and said Airtel is exploring alternative revenue streams.

“Most regulators today globally, not just in India, are focused on the telecom sector, which is a very small part of the surface area of the problems that are being created in trust and security,” Vittal said at the event in New Delhi.

According to Vittal, the problem of trust and security goes well beyond the telecom sector and to other players in the digital ecosystem, which also ride on telecom networks. But regulations are not keeping pace with the changes in technology.