Airtel’s Priority Postpaid Service Reportedly Faces Regulatory Scrutiny Over Net Neutrality Concerns

Bharti Airtel’s new priority network service for postpaid users has reportedly come under scrutiny. The service, launched in India earlier this week, aims to provide access to fast lane connectivity even in high traffic demand situations, leveraging 5G network slicing. According to a report, the central government and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) are examining whether the offering complies with the country’s net neutrality framework. Further, they are also deliberating whether it could adversely impact service quality for prepaid subscribers.

Airtel’s 5G Network Slicing Said to Be Under Review

According to a report by The Economic Times, the government and TRAI are assessing Airtel’s new network priority service. Officials are now reportedly seeking additional technical details to better understand how the service operates. They are also said to be evaluating whether the offering complies with net neutrality principles.

Net neutrality, notably, is the foundational principle requiring Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to manage all online data with absolute parity. Under the principle, ISPs are prohibited from blocking, throttling, or granting priority to particular websites or applications. They are also required to ensure that all digital content is accessible at uniform speeds.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report mentioned that the Minister of Communications, Jyotiraditya Scindia, has already held discussions with officials regarding the service. The regulator is also expected to examine whether the prioritisation of postpaid users could affect the quality of service experienced by prepaid subscribers.

One of the key areas of focus is said to be network slicing, which is enabled by the standalone (SA) 5G architecture. Officials reportedly want Airtel to demonstrate how the network has been partitioned and managed to support the new service. In Airtel’s implementation, a portion of the network is reportedly allocated specifically for postpaid subscribers.

The report notes that most stakeholders, including network equipment vendors and internet rights advocates, do not currently view Airtel’s service as a direct violation of net neutrality principles. Similar implementations have already been deployed in markets such as the UK, the US, and Singapore.

Airtel claims it would provide postpaid users with a more reliable and consistent network experience by allocating dedicated network resources through 5G network slicing. The service is currently targeted at Airtel’s postpaid customer base, which is claimed to account for approximately 7.75 percent of its 373 million mobile subscribers in India.

In India, Airtel is the first consumer-facing mobile network slicing service. Jio, meanwhile, only leverages this technology for its fixed wireless access (FWA) services.