New Guidelines For OSPs Introduced

Call centers in India have had to obtain a registration under the telecom Other Service Provider (“OSP”) category. On November 5, 2020, the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India, issued the ‘New Guidelines for Other Service Providers' ("New Guidelines"). The New Guidelines have been introduced with a view to reduce the compliance requirements applicable to OSPs and replace the ‘Terms and Conditions – Other Service Provider Category' (“Old Terms”) which were in force since 2008.

Below are some key highlights from the New Guidelines:

1. No Registration: OSPs are no longer required to obtain a registration to operate in India.
2. Interconnectivity allowed: Interconnectivity between domestic OSP centres of the same group company has been permitted. Similarly, interconnectivity among international OSP centres is also allowed.