Nokia, Ericsson back Airtel's 5G slicing offer for postpaid users

Airtel's new Priority Postpaid plans powered by 5G slicing have received backing from Nokia and Ericsson amid debate over differentiated network services

All Airtel postpaid customers will be automatically moved to the company's recently launched "Priority Postpaid" plans that benefit from 5G slicing, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD) Shashwat Sharma said on Thursday.

 

In a letter to the entire customer base, Sharma urged prepaid customers to move to postpaid to get the benefit of consistent experience even in congested areas like crowded markets.

 

"Airtel Priority Postpaid is available on all our postpaid plans. If you are already on postpaid, you will start enjoying the benefit automatically. If you are currently prepaid, you can upgrade your existing plan to postpaid by visiting the Airtel App," he said in the letter.

 

5G slicing refers to a technique wherein a single physical network is divided into multiple virtual slices. These slices can be optimised for specific performance requirements, like bandwidth, latency, and reliability, to support different applications efficiently.

 

According to the latest earnings report, Airtel has 29-30 million customers on postpaid, making up 7-8 per cent of its mobility user base and contributing around 12-13 per cent of mobility revenue. Any shift from prepaid to postpaid will bolster Airtel’s revenues.

 

Network gear providers Nokia and Ericsson's global heads have backed Airtel's move, which makes India one of the few countries globally to adopt the advanced technology into networks.

 

“Following one of the world’s fastest 5G deployments, India continues to strengthen its position among the most digitally advanced nation... 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,” said Börje Ekholm, president and CEO at Ericsson in a post on LinkedIn.

 

He added that Ericsson had partnered with Airtel for implementing 5G slicing.

 

Nokia also claimed to be the vendor behind enabling network slicing technology. "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," Nokia President and CEO Justin Hotard said in a social media post.

 

On Tuesday, Bharti Airtel introduced Priority Postpaid 5G plans to offer its subscribers more reliable telecom services by allocating a dedicated portion of the network using 5G slicing. Some industry watchers said that the service may raise the question on whether it violates norms mandating equal access to content irrespective of pricing or speed, also known as net neutrality.

 

Julian Gorman, Head of APAC, at global telecom operators association GSMA said that approaches to network slicing services and their interaction with policy and regulatory frameworks continue to evolve across different markets globally. “A continued dialogue between industry, policymakers and regulators will 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,” he added.