IGF 2019 WS #198 Over the Top (OTT) Services - Challenges and Opportunities

Relevance to Theme: The global information and communications technology (ICT) industry has evolved over the past decades from an era where it was largely a monopoly dominated by single state owned entities providing basic telecommunication services to citizens, to an era where the industry has become liberalized with multiple players offering various forms of ICT/telecommunication services. This liberalisation has enabled competition in the industry, which in turn has generated significant growth and innovation making it unarguably one of the fastest growing and most innovative industries in the world

The session will seek to inform participants at the IGF of the OTT study results and outcomes and discuss the way forward in terms of improving the understanding of the OTT challenges and opportunities Nationally, Regionally and Globally.

Relevance to Internet Governance: The objective of the OTT study is to provide a basis for multistakeholder consultations in a number of jurisdictions, a good practice operational framework for OTT service providers, including policymakers and regulators around the globe. It is expected that this framework will enable all stakeholders including ICT policymakers, ICT regulators, network operators, OTT service providers and the consumers facilitate the deployment of OTT services in a manner that addresses all their concerns.