Why Airtel, Jio and Vodafone have raised national security concerns

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has accused tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft of bypassing legal telecom routes by using WhatsApp and other unregulated platforms to send enterprise messages to customers. In a letter to the telecom secretary, COAI argues that this practice violates licensing and security norms, resulting in a loss of revenue for the government and telecom companies. COAI also warns that this could pose a national security threat and lead to a potential revenue loss of Rs 3,000 crore. The use of unlicensed routes to send international messages has also been highlighted by telcos.