Key facts
- Bharti Airtel has deployed over 2,900 new 5G sites across four northern Indian states.
- The expansion aims to improve network quality and meet rising data demand for over 28.6 million customers.
- Airtel's Priority Postpaid service has been rebranded as "Fast Lane."
- The "Fast Lane" service utilizes 5G network slicing for enhanced connectivity.
- The rebranding has reignited net neutrality debates regarding preferential treatment for premium subscribers.
Bharti Airtel has significantly expanded its 5G network across northern India, deploying over 2,900 new sites in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir over the past year. This expansion is intended to enhance network quality and cater to the increasing data demands of more than 28.6 million customers in urban, semi-urban, and rural areas.
Punjab received the largest share of new sites with over 1,066, followed by Haryana with 954, Jammu & Kashmir with 619, and Himachal Pradesh with 276. Anupam Arora, CEO-Upper North at Bharti Airtel, stated that these new sites will provide faster speeds, wider coverage, and a more reliable experience.
In a separate development, Airtel has rebranded its recently introduced Priority Postpaid service to "Fast Lane." This service, launched in May, utilizes 5G network slicing technology to offer dedicated network capacity for faster and more consistent connectivity, particularly during periods of network congestion. However, the offering has drawn criticism and sparked a debate on net neutrality, with concerns that prioritizing premium subscribers might disadvantage prepaid users.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology has reportedly requested input from the Department of Telecommunications and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India regarding the impact of 5G network-slicing services and their potential implications for net neutrality principles.