Chennai: Bharti Airtel has defended its newly launched “Priority Postpaid” service before a Department of Telecommunications (DoT) panel, stating that the offering does not violate net neutrality norms or degrade the quality of service for prepaid users.

The telecom operator, in its response to queries from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, said the service—powered by 5G network slicing technology—is fully compliant with existing regulations under the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and DoT framework.

Airtel launched the “Priority Postpaid” plans on May 19, promising postpaid customers consistent data speeds even during peak network congestion.

The company clarified that the service does not block, throttle, prioritise specific content, offer zero-rated access, or discriminate between applications or users.

“Priority Postpaid does not operate on the basis of any content. It is fully aligned with TRAI and DoT regulations,” the company said, adding that restricting use of advanced 5G features could hinder the potential rollout of future technologies such as 6G in India.

Airtel further said that current utilisation of overall 5G capacity during peak hours stands at around 38 per cent, with postpaid usage accounting for about 4 per cent.

It added that with the introduction of a virtual “network slice” for priority postpaid users, this share could rise to around 6 per cent, still leaving sufficient capacity for other users.

The company also said that nearly 60 per cent of total network capacity remains available for prepaid and non-priority users during peak usage hours, ensuring no degradation in service quality for them.

Airtel maintained that the “priority” feature does not reduce service quality for either prepaid or other postpaid users, and stressed that the system is designed to optimise network performance rather than create discrimination.