New Delhi, May 26: Amid Parliamentary scrutiny over net neutrality and equal access, Bharti Airtel (Airtel) on Tuesday defended its new ‘Priority Postpaid’ service before a Department of Telecommunications (DoT) panel, asserting that the offering, powered by 5G network slicing, neither violates net neutrality norms nor degrades service quality for prepaid users.
“There has been speculation about whether Airtel’s Priority Postpaid feature raises concerns around net neutrality or risks degrading the experience of prepaid customers. In reality, the technology upgrade delivers broad-based customer benefits across the network,” the company has said in a submission to the panel, sources told businessline.
The company has highlighted that the extent regulatory framework, comprising the Unified Licence conditions and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI’s) net neutrality regulations, expressly permits network slicing-based service offerings.
Legitimate Exercise
“Network Slicing-based service deployments are a legitimate exercise of 5G network capabilities, subject to compliance with the applicable provisions of the Unified Licence and TRAI regulations,” sources said quoting from Airtel’s submissions on May 25 (Monday).
Airtel also noted that its 5G network currently operates at only 38 per cent capacity, with postpaid customers accounting for just 4 per cent of this usage. This means the network has extensive headroom to support enhanced experiences for all users —prepaid and postpaid alike — without any degradation, it said.
Airtel had launched Priority Postpaid plans on May 19, which promise consistent speed even in crowded markets for postpaid customers.
“Unlike 4G, 5G technology is intrinsically more efficient, capable of handling far more devices simultaneously, especially in crowded areas where customer experience matters the most. The use of virtual network slicing only strengthens this efficiency, enabling Airtel to optimise performance intelligently while maintaining equal treatment of all content,” the company asserted to DoT panel.
Network Upgrades
Having invested ₹83,000 crore in network upgrades over the last three years, Airtel continues to prioritise superior service for all users, it said adding that there is also a clear commercial incentive for Airtel to ensure prepaid customers—who make up 92 per cent of the subscriber base and contribute 88 per cent of revenue—receive better services.
“Any degradation of their experience would be counterproductive to the company’s core business. Globally, more than 100 cases of network slicing have been documented, with several countries like the USA, UK, Singapore and Malaysia adopting it commercially. With this launch, India stands alongside these global peers in advancing cutting-edge 5G innovation,” the company added in its submissions.
Queries sent to Airtel did not elicit any response till the time of going to press.
Published on May 26, 2026