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Trai recommends an apex body for data governance to promote data economy
Mumbai: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has advocated for an apex body for data governance and to guide India’s digital economy as soon as the government introduced the new Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022.
Trai noted that a statutory body should be established at the centre, with suitable representation from the department of telecommunications (DoT) and the ministry of electronics and information and technology (MeitY).
Trai, after receiving comments from stakeholders on the consultation paper, has finalised recommendations for the establishment of data centres (DCs), content delivery networks (CDNs), and interconnect exchanges (IXPs) in India.
The recommendations were made by the telecom watchdog at a time when the government suggested creating a Data Protection Board to address data-related issues.
Also Read: Government announces draft bill on personal data protection; proposes penalty of up to Rs 500 cr
To manage all matters relating to data, including digitisation, monetisation, sharing, and storage, a top organisation known as the Data Digitisation and Monetisation Council (DDMC) would be established by either changing the current law or creating a new one.
The authority recommends that trusted source procurement, which is applicable for licensees under Section 4 of the India Telegraph Act 1885, be made applicable for DCs (data centres) for security-sensitive equipment.
It might happen very soon that DCs companies will have to source equipment from trusted sources only. The government has designated the National Cyber Security Coordinator as the body in charge of determining whether or not a source is trustworthy. In addition, the regulatory body has said that the government should define certain fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for the data centre sector. These incentives should be applicable to all the states while giving the states further flexibility to announce additional incentives.
The regulator further suggested CDN players should be registered with the department of telecommunications through a simple online registration process. DCs hosting CDNs are connected to each other and the internet cloud via internet exchange points (IXPs).
Trai has recommended bringing IXPs under a separate authorization in a unified licence that is much less onerous than internet service providers’ licence authorization.
The authority also recommends that any entity that intends to provide IXP services in India can do so either under an ISP licence or UL-ISP authorization or under standalone UL-IXP authorization.
The authority also recommends that all existing players, including NIXI, be brought within this licensing framework in a stipulated time not exceeding six months.
iWorld
Anirudh Ravichander and Universal Music India join forces to take South India’s sound to the world
The composer behind 13 billion streams launches Albuquerque Records with UMI as its exclusive global partner
MUMBAI: Universal Music India has struck an exclusive partnership with Albuquerque Records, the freshly minted independent label of singer-composer Anirudh Ravichander, in a deal that bets big on South India’s booming pop and hip-hop scene going global.
The arrangement, announced on 17 March, will see Universal Music India handle future pop and hip-hop releases by Anirudh himself, as well as artists signed to the new label. A first release is already in the pipeline for April, featuring Anirudh.
The numbers behind the man are hard to ignore. Debuting in 2012 with the viral sensation “Why This Kolaveri Di”, Anirudh has since clocked over 13 billion audio streams across more than 770 tracks, cementing his position as the No.1 South Indian artist on Spotify by total streams. His fingerprints are all over some of the Tamil film industry’s biggest musical moments, from Hukum and Vaathi Coming to Arabic Kuthu and the A23 Theme.
But Albuquerque Records is a different beast. Built for the non-film space, it is designed to nurture independent talent and champion the next wave of Indian pop voices. “Universal Music India’s leadership in pop and hip-hop made them the natural partner,” said Anirudh. “I’m excited to take independent voices to audiences around the world.”
Universal Music India’s chairman and CEO Devraj Sanyal was equally effusive. “Anirudh represents the future of Indian music, bold, original, and with enormous potential,” he said. “Identifying transformative talent is our superpower, and this partnership reflects that belief.”
Sanujeet Bhujabal, managing director of Universal Music India, framed the deal as more than a distribution play. “Albuquerque Records represents Anirudh’s bold artistic vision in the world of pop and hip-hop,” he said. “True to his legacy of innovation, this partnership is set to establish yet another landmark creative space, this time for the emerging world of iPop and beyond.”
For Universal Music India, the deal deepens a long-running push into South India’s four key language markets: Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. The label already has regional imprints, film partnerships with Maddock Films and Excel Entertainment, and a growing non-film roster. Landing Anirudh, arguably the south’s most bankable music brand, is a statement of intent. South Indian music has the streams. Now it is coming for the world.
