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Highlights
- Indian consumers and the industry was waiting for the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to speak up on 5G network slicing.
- Jio and Airtel both want to offer 5G network slicing.
- Airtel, in fact, launched Priority service, but then rebranded it to Fast Lane.
Andrew Bonwick
Vice President of Product Development at Relm Insurance
Madhav Sheth
CEO of Ai+ Smartphone
Stephen Rose
CEO Render Networks
Indian consumers and the industry was waiting for the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to speak up on 5G network slicing. Jio and Airtel both want to offer 5G network slicing. Airtel, in fact, launched Priority service, but then rebranded it to Fast Lane. With 5G SA (standalone architecture), telcos can offer customers a slice of 5G which is optimised for a better performance. According to the draft rules proposed by TRAI, Indian telecom operators can offer 5G slice to premium customers, but this should not degrade the experience for the remaining customers. That is the norm set by the regualtor in the draft rules for maintaining Quality of Services (QoS).
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Telcos Can Charge Differently for 4G and 5G
The draft rules also say that the telcos can now charge different amounts from the consumers for offering them 4G and 5G, along with other services. When Airtel came out with Fast Lane service, the discussion around slicing and rules sped up. The regulator wants that telcos should maintain the quality of services for even customers who are not on any optimised slice, or are paying anything extra to consume services. If there is a degradation of services for the regular consumers, that could lead to penalties.
Until now, telecom operators in India have not really charged anything extra for 5G or the 5G network slicing. But the telcos have restricted the access to everyone by making it only available for people who are recharging with 2GB daily data plans or postpaid plans. So this allows them to bump up their revenues, while keeping the markets and choices open for consumers.
