iWorld
India one of the fastest growing AR markets: Facebook
MUMBAI: India is one of the fastest growing regions for augmented reality (AR) technology and Facebook is providing tools like AR Studio for developers and creators in the country to help them create unique experiences, according to ET.
“India is one of the fastest growing regions for AR technology. Through our cutting-edge creative offerings, we are giving creators and developers power to build for tomorrow with emerging technologies like AR without using any expensive hardware or specialised apps,” Facebook India and South Asia head of platform partnerships Satyajeet Singh said in a statement.
Facebook’s AR Studio is a new software suite is purpose-built for creators and developers that allow them to make stunning visual effects for the Facebook camera easily.
AR Studio is currently available on Mac and will soon be available on Windows. “Myntra has been a pioneer in AR applications. We are looking to partner with Facebook now to bring AR effects into our brand pages, feed and stories on Facebook and to leverage the massive reach of Facebook to bring these experiences and tools to our customers across the various Facebook platforms,” said Myntra CTO Jeyandran Venugopal.
Facebook is focused on opening up the AR platform to more people, offering more utility by bringing AR to everyone and their daily habits.
According to AliveNow founder and CEO Adhvith Dhuddu, “They are excited to work on AR studio because it’s opened up unique possibilities to build interesting AR experiences for brands and 1.5 billion users on Facebook.”
“With 1.5 billion people who have access to Facebook camera today, we want to focus on providing unique experiences, and through the AR studio we are enabling creators to build new ways for them to access AR experiences,” the company said as it organised an “AR Day” event.
“With face gestures, hand tracking, object recognition and more, we are building for the future with AR camera filters,” Dhuddu added.
iWorld
Telcos push for unified rules as spam shifts to OTT platforms
Over 80 per cent fraud moves online, operators seek common framework.
MUMBAI: The spam may have left your phone network but it hasn’t left you alone. India’s telecom operators are once again dialling up the pressure for a unified regulatory framework, warning that fraud is rapidly migrating to internet-based platforms where oversight remains far looser. According to industry communication, a leading operator has written to multiple arms of the government including the Department of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance arguing that tighter controls on traditional telecom networks are inadvertently pushing bad actors towards over-the-top (OTT) communication platforms.
The concern is not new, but the framing has sharpened. What was once an industry grievance is now being positioned as a consumer protection issue. Operators say that tackling spam in silos no longer works, as fraudsters seamlessly shift across platforms, exploiting regulatory gaps. The result: a moving target that traditional safeguards struggle to contain.
Executives point to a clear shift in fraud patterns. OTT platforms are increasingly being used for phishing links, impersonation scams and bulk unsolicited messaging, with industry estimates suggesting that over 80 per cent of spam activity has now migrated online. In this environment, the lines between telecom networks, messaging apps and financial fraud are blurring fast.
At the heart of the industry’s demand is a call for a technology-neutral regulatory framework, one that applies consistently across telecom and internet-based communication services. Operators argue that the absence of uniform safeguards, such as sender verification systems, robust spam filters and clearly defined accountability mechanisms, has created enforcement blind spots that fraudsters are quick to exploit.
The proposal is straightforward but far-reaching. Telcos are pushing for baseline anti-fraud measures across all communication platforms, alongside faster response systems and deeper coordination between ministries. Given the interconnected nature of telecom networks, digital platforms and financial systems, they argue that fragmented oversight only weakens the overall defence.
The broader issue is regulatory arbitrage, the ability of bad actors to hop between platforms based on which is least regulated at any given time. Without harmonised rules, operators say, efforts to curb fraud risk becoming a game of whack-a-mole.
As digital communication continues to expand, the debate is shifting from who regulates what to how consistently it is regulated. For now, telecom operators are making their case clear: in a world where spam travels freely, regulation cannot afford to stay fragmented.
