Airtel tells DoT that its priority postpaid service is fully compliant with net neutrality rules

Bharti Airtel has informed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) that its newly launched priority postpaid service fully complies with India’s net neutrality framework and does not involve any content-based discrimination or commercial arrangements with content providers.

In a letter to DoT, the telecom operator said it is in full compliance with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regulations, DoT licence conditions and relevant IT, third-generation partnership project and Telecommunications Engineering Centre norms, and that the Priority Postpaid service has been expressly designed to remain within India’s net neutrality framework.

The letter follows criticism from some quarters that Airtel had bypassed net neutrality norms with the launch of the priority postpaid plan, which uses 5G network slicing to deliver a superior experience to postpaid customers.

The telco, however, strongly defended the offering, describing it as a technology upgrade that improves overall network efficiency and enhances quality of service for postpaid subscribers.