The telecom regulator is likely to come out with recommendations on data ownership, privacy and security in telecom sector by the year end or January next year, TRAI Chairman R.S. Sharma said on Thursday.
Mr. Sharma added that the authority is also in the final phases of issuing recommendations on the much talked about issue of net neutrality, while those on next spectrum auction are likely within the current financial year.
“This should be finalised by December or January,” the Chairman said when asked about the timeline for recommendations of the subject of data privacy in telecom sector at a FICCI event.
“There are two parts to ownership of data… In a physical world, there is exclusivity in some sense. For example, if I have a pen you can’t have the same one. In a virtual world, because of the property of data, it is infinitely indivisible,” he said.
“We are saying you can use my data because we are using your application, but give us too so that we can use it for other purposes too,” he added, pointing out that such a principle will enable a lot of start ups to come in the data business, where there is a “huge monopoly” at present and “that monopoly is becoming bigger and bigger.”
Mr. Sharma also said that telecom operators have sought more time for submission of their views on the next round of spectrum auction. “Usually operators ask for weeks [extension], this time they've asked for months.” He, however, said that the authority won’t be giving extensions indefinitely.
