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.