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Digital television technology ott. OTT Player for Smart TV: installation and configuration. See what "OTT" is in other dictionaries

Smart TV is no longer the technology of the future. This is something that can be in everyone's house. The service in question combines all interactive applications installed on a smart TV into a single system. This is a symbiosis that works for the benefit of the user. There is the Internet, various interesting applications that make an ordinary TV something much more advanced. Of course, in order for all this to work, as a single organism, you have to regularly monitor the state of the system, update it, and more.

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But now it’s not about that, but about the ability to view playlists using OTT technology. Naturally, this will require OTTPlayer. The technology in question appeared relatively recently, and to be honest, many users simply did not have time to figure out what OTTPlayer is and how to work with it at all. The process of installing this player is not simple:
  • The user is registered on two sites;
  • Next, you should link your account and playlist;
  • And the last step is the installation of the OTT Player application on Smart TV.

The instructions say that after that the user has almost unlimited opportunities for watching TV and more. Let's take a look at this below.

What is OTT

The technology under consideration is something new, unusual, because thanks to it it is possible to deliver TV content, having only the Internet, without using satellite television services. This is very convenient and certainly better than buying a bunch of equipment and other accessories, and also with a monthly payment for the services rendered. And as a result, the user receives several dozen channels, frankly, not of very high quality.

Things are completely different here, because often the channel lists are generally free, although, of course, there are also paid ones, but the price for their broadcast is ridiculous. And all you need to decode the signal is OTTPlayer. In general, the alternative to standard cable or satellite TV turned out to be amusing. Here are some of the benefits of OTT:

  • One of the main advantages endowed with this player is the ability to deliver content to any playback device. More precisely, it could be a Sony TV, although the content could just as well be played on the Philips. But we meant a little wrong, because the content can be played on a smartphone, computer or tablet, you just need to install the player and have stable access to the World Wide Web;
  • Ability to encrypt video content in different formats to view it on different end devices;
  • Ability to record a signal on various devices;
  • Thanks to OTTPlayer, you can watch TV both in real time and in a recording that allows you to fast forward or rewind the picture, just like when watching a movie on a computer.

These are far from all the advantages of the technology in question over other, more familiar counterparts, but they are the ones that are asked about when they think about connecting content. Although do not forget about the simple connection scheme, which is also quite interesting for the user.


How to install OTT Player on Philips Smart TV

The following steps are suitable if you want to connect this technology to Philips, Sony, Samsung TVs and devices from other brands. To make it all work, as you already understood, you need to not only find, but download and install OTTPlayer. You can do this on the application market, which is at the disposal of every smart device. For example, for Samsung it is Samsung Apps, and so on. Further instructions are as follows:

  • Launch the OTTPlayer widget on your Sony TV, or any other;
  • After launch, the program window will appear, where in the upper right corner there will be a button labeled "Settings" or "Options", depending on which version of the player was downloaded;
  • The support service sent the data, and you need to enter it in the "Login" and "Password" fields. After that, on the Sony TV remote control, press the "Return" key to save the settings;
  • Give the device a name, which doesn't matter;
  • Support will add a playlist, but it's not available yet. You need to click "Updates to apply settings." After doing everything right, you will add this playlist and open access to it.

Further work is already being done with the playlist itself, and everything is intuitively clear there. For example, channels can be rotated, ordered by number or based on your preferences and more. Format the list to your heart's content, change settings, and do a ton of other things. This is very simple and easy to do here.

As for the display of the list in the TV menu, this can also be adjusted depending on personal preferences, the presence of desire and the TV menu. The player in question opens up many possibilities for TVs of various brands.

How to set up OTTPlayer on Sony TVs

In order for OTT TV to work at a normal level, you need to make a number of settings. They are quite simple because it will not be difficult for an ordinary user to deal with them, especially if the user has an LCD TV with Smart-type functionality.


So, OTTPlayer settings are configured as follows:

  • Open the window and see the "Resource" field. There you need to enter the name of the site that provides you with the OTT TV or IP-TV service;
  • Next, you need to press "Menu". This button is located in the upper left corner;
  • In the menu, find the section with registration, and click on it. The procedure is simple and follows a standard scenario, so we do not think that any problems may arise with it;
  • A further list of cases implies a transition to the item denoting "Playlist";
  • Opposite the very first entry and the FR2 server, you need to check the boxes and start the generation procedure;
  • The setup will continue after a direct web link appears, which must be copied to the clipboard and saved in Notes;
  • We go to the official website ottplayer.es and register there;
  • Go to the page using your already personal account, click on the account icon and select "Playlists";
  • The player will start working after you register on another resource, so enter the data of the "provider" whose services you will use in the appropriate field.

Sheets must be given a name before the application can be run. When this is done, you can try running the app on your TV.

Now in Russia there is a lot of talk about import substitution. However, there is an area where the developments of Russian companies are not only ahead of foreign ones in the Russian market, but are also competitive in the world. These are platforms for distributing videos over the Internet.

Introduction
Of the well-known operator projects, the only example of using a foreign-made OTT platform is Mediaroom (now an Ericsson solution), which the Beeline operator uses to organize the broadcasting of TV channels to devices for its pay TV subscribers. All other major OTT projects use Russian-designed platforms. MegaFon TV is built on the BCC solution, MTS multiscreen is based on the SPB TV solution, Rostelecom uses the SmartLabs platform for the Zabava project, ER-Telecom chose the Sotal solution to launch the multiscreen.

Of course, Russian companies are more successful in part because they speak Russian and are close by. But, for example, Huawei, which is actively seeking to offer its OTT platform to Russian operators and has a very large support office in Moscow, also cannot boast of contracts yet.

Perhaps the Russian OTT market is still at some special stage of development, for which foreign companies cannot find an approach. Perhaps, ready-made platforms are not yet suitable for Russian companies, and foreign partners are not ready to provide the required level of customization. Let's try to see what kind of unique solutions Russian developers offer. And for this, we will analyze what platforms for OTT are.

Client-server part

Middleware

The basis of the OTT platform is a solution for managing content and user services, that is, what is usually called middleware in IPTV. MW defines client-server interaction. The client is a video player in the browser or an application with a video player on the device. On the server side, MW processes client requests and provides access to services - TV channels, video on demand, etc. The main difference between the various OTT platforms is precisely how complex the service options supported by their MW. For example, in the OTT platform implemented by NGENIX for the paid TV channel Dozhd, viewers can only watch one TV channel by subscription, so the service management solution is quite simple. In the case of the IVI video service (the video service develops the OTT platform on its own), users can watch free content according to the advertising model, and then the client video player plays ads in accordance with the user profile. Or they can subscribe to a paid video, and then they do not need to show ads, but they need to give access to an additional library of paid content. This MW option is more complex. Well, the most complex MWs are used in operator OTT services. For example, BCC offers not only bundling TV channels, delayed TV viewing, video on demand for paid and free models, but also the assembly of thematic virtual TV channels from VOD.

When comparing and choosing between platforms, customers, of course, first of all look at the offered server functionality and compare it with their needs. In addition, an important aspect is the client applications. This part also actually refers to the client-server interaction, but for the convenience of presentation, we will separate it into a separate paragraph.

Client side

The user interface plays a key role in the success of the future service, so almost all companies that make applications for OTT platforms are very seriously involved in its development. For example, SPB TV and SmartLabs have their own design divisions. BCC bought and adapted the interface created by NDS. But in some cases, the design is determined by the operator, for example, in the hybrid (satellite TV + Internet services) MTS project, CTI was engaged only in the implementation of applications, and the interface was developed by the MTC marketing department. At the same time, CTI has its own proprietary interface, which the company offers to IPTV/OTT operators.

Sotal has a very interesting approach to creating user interfaces. In addition to the possibility of full deep customization of the interface as a paid service, the company has a set of ready-made free solutions in which the client can insert his logo, change the color scheme, or even rewrite the UI using open source. The restriction is simple - since this interface is a freely distributed product, the operator who changes it must also provide everyone with access to the source.

Not all platform manufacturers are engaged in applications, some order them to third-party developers. On the one hand, in this case, customization of applications and the player to the needs of the content provider may be a little slower. On the other hand, supporting applications for many devices will require a lot of resources, it may be more profitable to attract specialized companies. Usually a balance is sought between costs and launch speed.

Sometimes applications are ordered from several companies. For example, the Amediateka service is built on the SPB TV platform and uses applications developed by SPB TV for most devices. But the application for Smart TV "Amediateke" was made by another company, Nemo Group, which has its own OTT platform, but so far only for internal use.

There are a lot of technical subtleties in players and applications, since now many functions have been shifted to them. For example, applications are responsible for access control during the authentication stage, and the video player is responsible for placing ads and collecting statistics. Therefore, in order for a video player to play ads from the largest Russian sellers, it must be approved by these sellers. And, say, Tvigle, which also developed an OTT platform, believes that a certified video player is one of the advantages of its solution.

The ability to automatically load video ads from the biggest sellers is a very useful option, but it is usually needed for video-on-demand services on the Internet. OTT platforms offer to use a separate advertising module for operator services. For example, Sotal's solution allows the operator to promote its offerings - paid packages or video-on-demand - and advertise local companies. SPB TV allows you to change advertising on TV channels and target it according to information about the viewer. Such a module is deployed on the server side.

OTT platform = MW?

Due to the fact that the main part of OTT and IPTV platforms perform the same functions, all Russian IPTV developers have also made OTT solutions. Accordingly, BCC, CTI, Netris, SmartLabs, Telebreeze have OTT platforms that allow launching complex services over the Internet. Conversely, companies that have developed OTT platforms are now offering their own solutions for launching IPTV. These are, for example, SPB TV, Microimpulse, INKO TV solutions.

If a developer has MW, he usually says that he has an OTT platform, because other components can be integrated. A modern modular approach to development contributes to this. However, this does not mean that these other components are not very important. Video needs to be prepared and delivered, and for OTT, delivery is more of a challenge than broadcasting over managed networks.

Preparation and delivery of content to the viewer

After it became clear what content needs to be sent to the user, three interesting questions arise: where to get this content, how to prepare it, and how to convey it to the client with maximum quality and minimum delay. Accordingly, the process of broadcasting over the Internet consists of three stages, the correct passage of which must be ensured.

The first stage is the loading of content into the system: writing to the source servers in the case of video on demand; connecting broadcast servers to TV channel streams, if sources are taken from the Internet; creating your own streams if the signal is taken from a satellite or from the air. Some OTT platforms also offer content: TV channel packages and video on demand. For example, SPB TV, Vidimax platform, CTI, Telebreeze solution, LifeStream, CDNVideo have content.

All content offers have their own characteristics in terms of building relationships with copyright holders. An extreme case is My TV services by SmartLabs, OTT/IPTV platform Microimpulse, Proxima TV by Inventos, and Smotryoshka by LifeStream - where the OTT platform to be launched by an operator requires only minimal customization of the player, and the technical part of the platform , and content are ready to launch a "virtual pay TV operator" on any broadband network.

The availability of content is primarily of interest to small broadband operators who would like to offer their subscribers video over the Internet, although it happens that large pay TV operators also want to expand their video libraries through partnerships.

If we are talking about the purely technical side of loading content into the system, then different solutions also have their own characteristics. For a client, for example, speed can be important - how much time passes from the moment the video file is downloaded to the moment it is shown to the viewer. As Tvigle told us, it is this aspect of their platform that attracts TV channels - the same Dozhd, which downloads TV shows to show after they go on the air.

For some projects, OTT platforms have even built their own antenna posts, receive and recode TV channels from the satellite. This is how Telebreeze works, for example. And SPB TV is the only company that takes local versions of federal channels from the air.

Content preparation includes both slicing and recording the stream for delayed view and network video recorder services, and preparing and downloading program and movie metadata, although these modules may be separate. For example, Sotal has examples of integrating a lazy lookup module into an already existing third-party solution.

In almost all cases, when video content is not taken in the form of links to the source server, it will require transcoding - changing the codec, container or frame size.

Transcoding

Many companies that have developed their OTT platforms have also developed their own transcoders. Russian companies Bradbury and Sotal have been involved in these developments for many years, and their encoders are also used in third-party projects (Elecard, the most famous Russian encoder developer, as far as we know, does not have an OTT platform, the Telebreeze IPTV / OTT solution is from it separated). Actually, these companies came to OTT platforms from the world of coders. In other cases, transcoding solutions are used for their own needs - for example, encoders offer BCC and SPB TV for their OTT projects. But if the client wants, third-party encoders can be easily integrated into the OTT platform. Therefore, not only Russian, but also specialized foreign companies are represented in this area: Envivio, Elemental, Harmonic, RGB (now Imagine). But, as it seems to us, here too there is a tendency to switch to Russian solutions or to the open ffmpeg.

Of course, this became possible, because for OTT video the H.264 codec is almost always used, the formats are mainly reduced to HLS, and it is rarely necessary to encode video with maximum speed and efficiency, as for conventional television, where it is still difficult to do without hardware encoders. In OTT, setting up device profiles and adjusting to real broadcast conditions is more important, and it is convenient to do this on your own equipment.

After the video files or streams are ready, you need to deliver them to the subscriber with minimal losses. Since delivery occurs through other networks and the content provider does not have the ability to configure routers and use multicast to save traffic, you need to figure out how to organize delivery. The generally accepted approach is the use of CDN networks, coupled with adaptive broadcast protocols.

There are two leading CDN companies in Russia - NGENIX and CDNVideo. Both companies offer, in addition to delivery, OTT platform services, albeit for cases where a complex content management system is not required. For example, these platforms are great for launching an Internet broadcast of a single TV or radio channel.

SPB TV has built its own private CDN network, and this network is also used in OTT projects launched by the company.

Other OTT platforms either offer connections to existing public CDN operators they have partnered with or allow you to build your own network. BCC has a traffic balancing solution for carrier CDN. Sotal offers operators to use their video servers to create CDNs. Such solutions are very good for local markets. For example, if the main area of ​​activity of a content provider is a particular region, and not yet very well connected to the general Internet by backbone channels, then it is logical to build your own delivery network specifically for this region.

Another component of the OTT platform helps to determine exactly where your content is being watched and with what quality it reaches there - these are tools for collecting and analyzing statistics

Statistics

OTT platforms collect two types of statistics: data on the quality of delivery (buffering time, packet loss, etc.) and data on the content consumed (which channels and services and on which devices a given user is watching).

Delivery monitoring

When a content provider builds an OTT platform for himself, he is the last to collect statistics. Therefore, when asked about how delivery quality control works, video services often answer that they collect user complaints. This approach works. However, OTT already has automated delivery control mechanisms that are needed, for example, to draw conclusions about the need to spend money on connecting additional broadcast points or changing the parameters for preparing video encoding profiles. There are different methods for assessing the quality of delivery, sometimes quite complex, and there are special companies that develop them. As part of the OTT platform, almost all developers collect real-time data from video players - bitrate and buffer sizes in relation to device type and geographic location.

Consumed content statistics

The video player also transmits to the provider all information about the user's actions - the choice of content, viewing time, etc. In fact, there is even too much of this data (the term Big Data is not used by chance), and the main problem here is not collecting, but analyzing data. The direction of user statistics analysis is now developing very rapidly, because on this basis it is possible to organize optimal packaging, flexible billing, cross-promotion of services, and recommendation systems. OTT platforms are developing this direction, but so far there are few real examples of use, unless, of course, we take into account the simple collection of data on the popularity of TV channels in the package. For example, Inventos and SPB TV have made their recommendation solutions, and CTI offers a third-party recommendation service Impress TV, complete with its own MW, but customers do not use them yet. The Megafon TV service, built on the BCC platform, has attracted the Imhonet company to organize recommendations, but has not yet launched the solution. Vidimax is testing third-party solutions. Two OTT platform makers, SmartLabs and Sotal, told us that they are already using the collection of view statistics to create dynamic "showcases" - user interfaces for specific services. Sotal's solution allows the operator to analyze the popularity of films and programs and, on this basis, to plan showcases and decide on an increase in the duration of showings.

DRM

DRM is the only component of the OTT platform that is not developed in-house. It is technically possible, but creating a solution for all devices and properly certifying it is very expensive, only a few companies in the world have coped with this task. However, note that DRM is only required for premium VOD content. For TV channels and movies, there are different palliatives: AES encryption, personal links, access control at the application level, etc. We wrote in great detail about the protection of content in OTT in the May issue of Tele-Sputnik and will not return to this now. When choosing an OTT platform, the service provider must decide for himself whether it is necessary to pay for DRM (or even for several) or simpler and cheaper solutions will suffice.

Choice and perspectives

In general, of course, the cost of the solution and the set of functions are the main points when choosing an OTT platform. The third important factor is startup speed. An increase in launch time leads to very large monetary losses from lost profits. Apparently, it is the need of Russian Internet broadcasters, on the one hand, for a customized solution, and on the other hand, for a quick launch, that so far leads to the fact that foreign solutions turn out to be uncompetitive.

The situation will probably change only when cloud solutions are in great demand, designed not for large TV channels and broadband operators, but for any content producers, of which there are more and more. Both Russian and foreign developers are now working in this direction.

The media community does not have an unambiguous definition of the term “OTT (over-the-top TV)”. Some people think that OTT is Internet TV, others think that it is the ability to watch TV channels on smart TVs and mobile devices, for others it is a data transfer technology using Unicast messages. Opinions agree on one thing: OTT is not IPTV, but this definition, to put it mildly, is not accurate. Let's try to figure it out...

The reason for the confusion and difference of opinions, among other things, is the insufficiently correct definition of OTT in open sources. To quote Wikipedia:

OTT Technology (abbr. from English. Over the Top) - a method of providing video services over the Internet. The term OTT means the delivery of a video signal from a content provider to a user's device (set-top box, computer, mobile phone) over data networks, often without direct contact with the telecom operator, in contrast to traditional IPTV services, which are provided, as a rule, only through an operator-controlled network with guaranteed QoS (QoE).

What's wrong? To answer, let's look at the IP protocol stack:

An experienced specialist can see at a glance that all data transfer protocols go on top of the main IP protocol, therefore any technology used for video transmission (even multicast, even unicast) is IPTV. There is no division into data transmission over the global Internet or over an internal managed network. Only the video transmission protocols themselves differ, but they are all built on top of the IP protocol, and this is IPTV by definition.

What, then, is this “OTT” technology and how does it differ from IPTV? We believe that they cannot be directly compared at all, they are different phenomena. In reality, OTT is not a data transmission technology. This is not a technical, but a marketing term, showing that the service is provided on top of the existing infrastructure, often owned by third parties. So, the aliexpress online ordering platform can be considered an OTT project, since third-party courier services are used to deliver goods, unlike pizzerias that have their own delivery staff. We provided this exotic example to confirm that the OTT model is not limited to the Internet.. , And in real life, OTT TV solutions use IPTV technology.

Before discussing several schemes for OTT solutions, let's remember one more term: Middleware IPTV. The so-called “Middleware” refers to a class of middleware. Looking at the illustration below, it becomes clear why.

Middleware acts as a coordinator for the interaction of various systems and is located between them.

Here are a few examples of IPTV solutions that are absolutely equivalent technologically, but in the first case we are talking about OTT in the market sense of the word, and in the other it is not.

The first option: the interactive television operator provides the subscriber with a service in its network. The second option: the same subscriber watches TV channels available to him by subscription outside the home (at work or at a party), where the provider is another telecom operator. The subscriber uses his smartphone or carries a set-top box with him, or simply uses his login on someone else's smart TV. In this case, for the subscriber, the technical part remains the same; when visiting, he receives the service as at home, using the application of his operator, but is in a different network. This is pure OTT.

It should be noted that option 1 is a classic of providing cable television services, which implies certain requirements for the operator, which are regulated by the rules for the provision of cable television services. For example: the equipment of the conditional access and content protection system must have a certificate in the field of communications, free broadcasting of channels of the first and second multiplex with regional inserts (Roskomnadzor monitors this). At the same time, OTT is not regulated by such rules: as soon as the subscriber leaves the territory of the home network, he, by law, ceases to be a cable TV user, and the requirements of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications “disappear” - OTT is outside the legal field, it is not defined. With a change in the connection point, the procedure for providing the service of a telecom operator changes. The line between the OTT service and the cable TV service runs along the border of the telecom operator's network.

OTT service can also be distinguished from cable television services by the presence or absence of a direct contractual relationship. Pay attention to the features of the work of content aggregators. An aggregator in official terminology is the same telecom operator as its clients-providers. The aggregator has a license for cable broadcasting and license agreements with TV channels. There is not one thing: his own subscriber network, so he rents it from telecom operators with whom he works (hello Anton Bogatov). The presence of a lease agreement shows that the aggregator operates in the legal field of television broadcasting and provides a cable service. It is worth terminating the network lease agreement while continuing to provide access to television content - the process turns into an OTT service.

The presence of a network lease agreement in the first case and its absence in the second is the difference that separates the classic cable TV service from the OTT service.

We have shown by examples that IPTV is a dual-purpose technology that allows you to build solutions within your own network as a communication service and outside the network as an OTT service. The technical platforms on which specific solutions are built, depending on the conditions described above, ensure the operation of OTT either by IPTV models or simultaneously. This is most clearly seen in the work of global cloud platforms that provide operators with middleware and CAS systems for rent (PaaS technology). The final choice of the business model is up to the operator.

Thus, OTT (OTT TV) is a term denoting a business model in which a video service is provided to the client directly from the so-called OTT provider (content provider or distributor) over a third party infrastructure, using technology (for example, IPTV), ensuring the absence of any agreements / agreements on the use of this infrastructure.

P.S. The definition of OTT from the reference book of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications is “OTT (from the English. Over the Top) is a method (format) by which information, a set of data (digital content, files), is broken into IP packets and delivered from one computer to another over an unmanaged network Internet (via networks of third-party telecom operators) from source to recipient. The fundamental difference between OTT and IPTV is that the ISP of the network does not control the OTT service, and the OTT service does not control the network (and does not guarantee signal quality).”

Write in the comments the assumptions where the definition was written off from and what the fee of the author of the reference book is.

OTT TV: Materiel

Researchers from the Multimedia Research Group estimate that OTT content sales will be in excess of $11 billion in 2012. Informa Telecoms&Media in its 2010 forecast noted the increased interest of market players in this technology, and Endurance Technology believes that OTT has significant potential to transform the entire TV industry.

Business Benefits

OTT has some interesting features. Transcoding technology allows you to transfer content to many types of devices - from set-top box-STB to mobile phone and iPad. This has the potential to increase video consumption by users. The ability to transfer data directly from the producer to the viewer allows you to eliminate the operator and organize sales even to small content producers. At the same time, cable, satellite, IP-TV operators themselves can use OTT as aggregators.

OTT is easy to manage and integrate and is economical in consuming system resources. The content management system is used to publish and authorize the viewing of content, it can be located anywhere in the world, direct content encryption occurs on the side of the producer / aggregator. Delivery is carried out by companies that specialize in this. CDN - content delivery and distribution network (Content Delivery Network or Content Distribution Network) - a geographically distributed network infrastructure that allows you to optimize the delivery and distribution of content to end users on the Internet.

OTT technology allows you to effectively protect content from unauthorized copying. Such solutions are provided by Irdeto. Its solutions generally allow organizing the entire process of content delivery, protection and monetization. In particular, this was recently done for the German operator Sky Deutschland.

Benefits for users

Firstly, the subscriber receives a convenient interface that combines navigation and social commenting and rating functions, which will allow him to navigate the increased amount of video content from a variety of different providers - TV operators, premium content producers, video superaggregators like Google and Amazon.com, etc.

Similar to using a good paid TV package, the user can watch videos in different ways: broadcast, on-demand, pay-as-you-go or subscription. He can also download content to the device for offline viewing and free offers.

The video can be shown on the screen of a computer, mobile phone, iPad. And through the game console, blu-ray player, prefix-STB - on the TV screen. This allows you to watch videos using one account anywhere and anytime. The user can set up individual programming and create a personal portal for receiving videos.

With all the variety of options, OTT users' costs will be comparable to the "average check" from a regular pay-TV operator. At the same time, competition between content producers will obviously lead to a decrease in the cost of services. There may be a small additional cost for STB to connect the service to the TV.

Services on OTT

There are already unified services based on OTT technology. An example of such services are - Hulu, Netflix, Hbb TV, YouView. So, for business, OTT is a promising way to monetize content, for users it is the convenience of choice and its expansion.

Transition to OTT

The consumption of OTT video is continuously growing year by year, although for many content providers this technology is not particularly attractive, since its use will entail an increase in the cost of improving the technology, marketing costs. But in the current situation, providers have no choice; they must either adapt to new technological trends, or leave the market.

2011 will be a watershed year for web-based video on demand, with the launch of projects such as YouView and Google TV. Despite a number of problems that arise when using OTT technology in the world, in general, this industry is very promising for both content providers and users.

In 2014, the loss of Russian operators from the activities of OTT services amounted to at least 15-20 billion rubles. The Big Three operators note the growing popularity of OTT services in the country and call for OTT players to be subject to the requirements of Russian industry legislation.

According to Ericsson, last year the penetration of mobile messengers in Russia amounted to 78%. According to J'son & Partners Consulting, one of the most popular OTT services is Skype (more than 70% of respondents use this application). Next in popularity are the projects of Mail.Ru Group (Mail.ru Agent, Odnoklassniki, ICQ and VKontakte), WhatsApp, QIP, Facebook and Viber.

“Messengers will practice a variety of ways to monetize themselves before settling on a few key optimal models. One of the significant trends is the creation of their own platforms for third-party applications by the largest OTT players,” J’son & Partners Consulting analysts point out.

According to J'son & Partners Consulting, Russian mobile operators in 2014 missed at least 15-20 billion rubles, or about 2% of their income. "Operators are looking for ways to increase the customer value of their services with new OTT services and gradually replace their current resource-intensive network-dependent services. The transition to a partner model for providing a wide variety of OTT services is the mainstream of the industry for the next few years," predicts J' son & Partners Consulting.

According to OJSC Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), the company aims to cooperate with providers of OTT services, which will allow avoiding network overload. "The operators have two ways out - either sharing revenues with OTT operators, or prioritizing traffic by its type through special tariffs that will be created based on the user's consumption profile. We already have experience of such a partnership with Google," he said in an interview with ComNews press secretary, head of the MTS media relations department Dmitry Solodovnikov.

According to him, at the same time, MTS will soon offer its subscribers new opportunities for communication in comparison with standard Internet chat applications, voice communication and video calls, by launching its own RCS service. "This service, using a single application integrated with a telephone number and social networks, will allow the operator's subscribers to access advanced multimedia services - instant messaging, files, calls and video communication," said Dmitry Solodovnikov.

According to the press secretary of VimpelCom OJSC (Beeline brand) Anna Aibasheva, currently OTT-services occupy a small volume in the traffic of the operator's clients, although, of course, they tend to grow. In another operator of the "big three" - PJSC "MegaFon" - they see that voice in IP networks is actively developing. "At the same time, we are also interested in the development of these technologies, as we plan to use VoLTE. We also see that subscribers rarely use OTT for voice calls, mainly using them as instant messengers," MegaFon's press secretary told a ComNews reporter. Aliya Beketova. In her opinion, this is due to the fact that OTT players, in the absence of any agreement on the level of service provision with operators, work according to a "gray" scheme of interaction with communication networks and cannot ensure the continuity and quality of the voice connection.

"We are also concerned about the fact that users of Internet communication services are not protected in any way from the point of view of consumer rights and communication secrecy. In this situation, it would be logical for OTT players to be subject to the requirements of Russian law if the services are provided to users in Russia ", - summed up Aliya Beketova.