Amid growing debate over net neutrality following the launch of Bharti Airtel’s Priority Postpaid plans, the telco on Tuesday defended the service before a Department of Telecommunications (DoT) panel, saying the offering does not violate net neutrality norms or degrade service quality for prepaid users.
The company said the service, powered by 5G network slicing technology, is designed to provide a more stable and consistent network experience to subscribers without offering preferential treatment to any application or content. Airtel’s Priority Postpaid service is currently available across postpaid plans priced between ₹449 and ₹1,749 per month, excluding GST.
The issue was discussed during a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, which reviewed “Quality of Service (QoS) Standards and Consumer Protection in the Telecom Sector” with a special focus on net neutrality. Officials from the DoT and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India briefed committee members on the matter regarding Airtel’s Priority Postpaid plans.
In its submission to the committee, Airtel maintained that the service remains fully compliant with the existing regulatory framework laid down by Trai and the DoT.
“Priority Postpaid is implemented in a content-neutral manner and is fully consistent with the existing Trai and DoT framework. There is no blocking, throttling, content-specific prioritisation, zero-rating, or preferential treatment of any application,” the telecom operator said.
Airtel also argued that restricting the use of key 5G capabilities such as network slicing could hamper the development and adoption of future technologies, including 6G, in India.
Separately, Reliance Jio told the Standing Committee that 5G network slicing-based services are compatible with India’s net neutrality framework, provided they do not impact the quality or availability of general internet access services.
However, Jio also stressed that the rollout of consumer-focused offerings such as priority postpaid plans should be undertaken only after consultation with, and approval from, the telecom department.
In its submission to the committee dated May 25, Jio said that network slicing capabilities in 5G Standalone (SA) networks would remain compliant with net neutrality regulations as long as there is no degradation of regular internet services and no content-based differential pricing.
Meanwhile, according to reports, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has already held discussions with officials regarding the issue.