Airtel Launches Priority Postpaid Service, Leveraging 5G Slicing Technology

The Indian telco referred to the launch of slicing-based 5G services in several countries, stating that “over the past year, slicing-based 5G services have been launched in many countries such as the USA, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia.”

Airtel Claims India’s First 5G Slicing-Based Postpaid Service

Airtel said its launch is the first in India. “Airtel’s launch is the first such launch in India, reflecting Airtel’s continued investment in building a smarter, more resilient, and future-ready digital network and reinforces its commitment to combining advanced technology with customer-centric innovation,” the telco said.

Commenting on the launch, Shashwat Sharma, MD and CEO – Airtel, said, “Our focus at Airtel is on delivering meaningful innovations that enhance our customers’ experience. Priority Postpaid is our latest innovation powered by the 5G slicing technology. It provides a superior, more reliable, and dependable experience to our customers — whether they are attending a client call in traffic, or streaming at a packed concert, or booking a cab in a crowded market.”

Airtel said its Priority service is available to customers on all its postpaid plans. Existing customers will start enjoying the benefits automatically. Prepaid customers or customers wanting to switch to Airtel Priority Postpaid can do so through the Airtel App or by visiting any Airtel store.

“Customers can enjoy our Priority service on any 5G SA-enabled smartphone, with their latest software upgrades. Customers for whom an upgrade is pending, will see a pending action showing in the ‘Settings’ section of their phones. Customers can also check their phone readiness for Airtel Priority services by logging on to the Airtel App,” Airtel said.

Airtel 5G Network Now Fully SA-Ready

“Our 5G network is now fully SA-ready, FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) is running fully on SA, while mobile customers are transitioning in a phased manner. We continue to refine our digital tools and depth of data science to improve our experience and reduce customer churn. Customer obsession is deeply embedded in our culture that we have built over the years,” Shashwat Sharma said during the Q4 FY26 Earnings call.

Airtel Priority Postpaid Plans

Airtel has rebranded its range of postpaid plans as Priority Postpaid Plans, designed to offer enhanced 5G connectivity through Fastlane technology, along with premium entertainment and productivity benefits. All plans include priority access on 5G, fraud detection and spam alert services, unlimited data and calling, and 3000 SMS benefits.

1. The Individual Plan, priced at Rs 449 + GST, includes access to Airtel Xstream Play, Adobe Express Premium, and 100 GB of cloud storage.
2. The Family of 2 Plan, priced at Rs 699 + GST, includes all the benefits of the Individual Plan, along with subscriptions to Amazon Prime and Jio Hotstar.
3. The Family of 3 Plan, priced at Rs 999 + GST, includes everything offered in the previous plans, plus access to Apple TV+ and Apple Music.
4. The Family of 4 Plan, priced at Rs 1199 + GST, continues to provide all the existing benefits, along with access to Apple TV+ and Apple Music.
5. The Family of 5 Plan, priced at Rs 1749 + GST, includes all the above benefits along with a Netflix subscription.

Industry on Net Neutrality Debate

“For this (network slicing) service, Airtel has upgraded its 5G network with advanced capabilities of slicing technology. This makes the network more efficient and creates more capacity. This additional capability can be used in a targeted manner for delivery of a superior experience for priority customers, and does not violate net neutrality,” a telco executive told Economic Times, according to a report by Muntazir Abbas dated May 19, 2026.

“Airtel’s 5G slicing, in my opinion, complies with current net neutrality frameworks because it is content-agnostic and treats all applications equally. While it operates on a highly debated line, the technology uses advanced spectrum optimization to reduce overall network congestion,” Anupam Shrivastava, former Chairman of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Principal Advisor at Submer India, was quoted as saying in the report.

Further, Shrivastava reportedly said that, rather than restricting standard users, this ensures the public internet remains fast and stable for everyone. On the contrary, the industry executive reportedly said that 5G slicing is completely content- or application-agnostic and offers a superior experience by leveraging excess capacity. “It is non-discriminatory and available to any customer on postpaid plans offered by Airtel.”

“Slicing in general will not violate net neutrality, given pricing and quality. In fact, the technology will unlock the benefits of the next generation (5G) network,” SP Kochhar, Director General of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), which represents Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, was quoted as saying.

Ericsson on Airtel 5G SA and Network Slicing

“India continues to be a digital frontrunner. The very successful implementation of “Digital India” over the last decade has been on top of a strong mobile infrastructure. Now India’s mobile leadership has reached a new milestone,” Borje Ekholm, president and CEO of Ericsson, said on LinkedIn.

“Congratulations to India and airtel for once again being at the forefront of 5G innovation. Following one of the world’s fastest 5G deployments, India continues to strengthen its position among the most digitally advanced nations with Bharti Airtel’s pioneering launch of differentiated connectivity services for its postpaid customers,” Ekholm added.

“By leveraging 5G Standalone and advanced network slicing, Bharti Airtel is able to enhance capacity and capability to deliver targeted superior performance for its postpaid customers. These capabilities will also accelerate the introduction of new AI devices and applications, which require consistent latency and uninterrupted performance.”

“Bharti Airtel joins frontrunner service providers across the USA, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand that are offering differentiated go-to-market experiences, enabled by advanced 5G solutions.”

“Our high performing, programmable and increasingly autonomous networks allow our customers to differentiate their offerings and to support the demanding AI applications of the future. This is Ericsson’s foundation. We are proud to partner with Bharti Airtel on their network evolution journey,” Ekholm said.

ITU-APT Foundation

“The launch of 5G slicing services by Airtel is an innovation in 5G spectrum use, aligned with 3GPP standards. Globally, network slicing is emerging as the next phase of 5G evolution, with operators like Singtel, U Mobile and EE using it to provide enhanced customer experiences,” the ITU-APT Foundation of India said on platform X on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

Airtel on Airtel Priority Postpaid

“Congratulations to Bharti airtel on the launch of Priority Postpaid, bringing 5G network slicing to postpaid customers and joining a small group of operators globally delivering differentiated connectivity at scale,” Justin Hotard, President and CEO of Nokia, said on LinkedIn.

“We are proud that Nokia technology is helping to power this capability. Our 5G core and slicing capabilities are already powering differentiated connectivity for operators across North America, Europe and Asia, and now India. It builds on more than 20 years of partnership with Airtel across mobile, fixed and transport networks.”

“India continues to lead with innovation, scale and speed. What Airtel is building today will help shape how networks evolve in the AI era, and we look forward to continuing to co-innovate together,” Hotard added.

Network Slicing to Help Drive Next Wave of 5G Innovation in India, Says GSMA

Global telecom operators association GSMA said it welcomes the growing global momentum around 5G network slicing, an important capability of standalone 5G networks that is already being explored and deployed across a number of international markets within their respective policy and regulatory frameworks.

“Under the leadership of the Government of India, the Ministry of Communications and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the country’s telecom sector has made significant strides in deploying world-class 5G infrastructure, supported by substantial industry investment and a strong focus on digital innovation. With operators having invested more than four lakh crore rupees into 5G rollout, India is well positioned to play a leading role in the next phase of digital transformation, next-generation network innovation and future 6G evolution,” the industry association said in an official statement on Thursday 21 May, 2026.

“Globally, operators in markets including China, the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Malaysia have launched or are piloting network slicing-enabled services designed to support differentiated connectivity experiences, improved network efficiency and evolving consumer and enterprise needs. Approaches to network slicing services and their interaction with policy and regulatory frameworks continue to evolve across different markets globally.”

“GSMA believes network slicing has the potential to support a broad range of future digital services and industrial applications, including advanced manufacturing, healthcare, smart cities, public safety and immersive digital experiences across India. By enabling multiple virtual networks to operate on shared infrastructure, network slicing can help deliver the performance, reliability and responsiveness required by different use cases, while also supporting continued investment and innovation in next-generation digital infrastructure.”

“GSMA encourages continued dialogue between industry, policymakers and regulators to help unlock the full potential of 5G, support innovation and investment, strengthen consumer trust, and reinforce India’s position as a leading global digital economy,” the Industry body said.