The idea of an integrated network for voice, data and video, proposed decades ago, is now a reality. Examine how regulation has evolved to deal with convergence in India.

In 1976, an Osmania University professor called for an integrated telecom network that would carry voice, facsimile and video using electronic switching [1]. Today a single fibre or 5G connection delivers calls, streaming and broadband. India's regulation has moved more slowly, but it has shifted from service-wise silos to technology-neutral authorisation.

Phase I: Recognising convergence (1997–2013)

• TRAI Act, 1997 set up an independent regulator and separated rule-making from the government operator [2].
• NTP 1999 said that telephone and broadcasting industries were entering each other's markets and that technology was blurring the line between wireline and wireless [3].
• The Unified Licence (2013) applied NTP-2012's "One Nation–One Licence" goal. It brought many services under one licence and delinked spectrum from the licence [4].

Phase II: Legal overhaul (2023–present)

• The Telecommunications Act, 2023 replaced the Telegraph Act, 1885 and the Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1933. Its definition of "message" covers text, image, sound, video and data streams, so it is technology-neutral [5].
• The Principal Telecom Services Rules, 2026 replace the Unified Licence with an authorisation regime run through a single online portal. They cover both network operators and virtual network operators [6].
• Carriage: TRAI's 2023 consultation asked whether India needs a converged legal framework for carrying both broadcasting and telecom [7]. TRAI later recommended broadcasting service authorisations under the 2023 Act [8].
• Content: The draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023 would replace the Cable TV Act, 1995. It would extend regulation to OTT platforms and digital news [9].

Persisting gaps

• Definitional overlap: Internet messaging and video-calling may count as "telecommunication services" and overlap with the IT Act [5].
• Fragmented administration: TRAI itself pointed to multiple licences for the same technology and separate administration of converged services [7].
• Content law still pending: The broadcasting framework is still in draft, so OTT oversight remains uncertain [9].

Overall, India has moved from colonial-era, service-specific licensing to an authorisation-based, technology-neutral system. The next steps are to keep carriage and content regulation separate, set up a coordination mechanism among DoT, MIB, MeitY and TRAI, and adopt light-touch, rights-respecting rules for OTT. That would complete the 1976 vision of an integrated network and advance SDG 9 on universal, affordable connectivity.