After years of tariff wars and consolidation battles, the telecom sector may be headed for a fresh confrontation — this time over whether some users should get a better Internet experience than others.
Vodafone Idea (Vi) has fired the opening salvo through a sharp consumer campaign targeting Bharti Airtel’s recently launched Priority Postpaid service, signalling the return of public sparring between telecom operators after a prolonged period in which the industry’s focus had largely shifted to survival, fundraising and tariff repair.
The timing is significant for Vi. The company, which recently received relief through the reassessment of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues and saw Kumar Mangalam Birla return as chairman, appears keen to signal that it is ready to compete more aggressively again after years of financial stress and subscriber losses.
Vi’s latest social media campaign — built around slogans such as “Sabko equal network ka vaada” (the promise of equal network for everyone) and “Everyone is a priority with Vi” — appears directly aimed at Airtel’s Priority Postpaid offering, which uses 5G network slicing technology to provide a more stable and consistent network experience for postpaid users.
The campaign copy leaves little to interpretation. “Na kisi ko kum, na zyada. Sabko equal network ka vaada,” (No one gets more and no one gets less. The promise of equal network for everyone) one of the creatives reads, followed by the tagline: “Strong network. Sabka haq.” (Strong network, everyone’s right.)
“India’s digital growth has been built on the foundation of affordable and connectivity for all. At Vi, we strongly believe that every customer deserves a fair and consistent network experience. Offering preferential speeds or services based on user profile, raises questions around equity and principles of an equal digital ecosystem,” said Avneesh Khosla, chief marketing officer, Vodafone Idea.
“For India to continue its digital growth, even as the technology advances, it is important for innovation and monetisation models to keep the interests of all customers paramount, be transparent and most of all remain inclusive,” he added.
Slicing vs. Neutrality
Airtel has defended the offering, arguing that it remains compliant with net neutrality norms because it does not involve preferential treatment of websites or applications and is based on network management capabilities enabled by standalone 5G architecture. The company has also argued before authorities that its network has sufficient spare capacity to ensure that prepaid users are not impacted.
The launch has, however, triggered divisions within the telecom industry and revived debates around equal Internet access that had largely subsided after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s 2016 rules prohibiting discriminatory tariffs for data services.
The current dispute differs from earlier battles around Free Basics and Airtel Zero because the issue now is not differential access to specific content but differentiated quality of Internet experience enabled through network slicing technology.
While Reliance Jio has also opposed Airtel’s move, it has so far avoided publicly targeting the company. In submissions to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, which sought responses from operators following Airtel’s launch, Jio argued that network slicing itself is permissible under the existing regulatory framework but said preferential treatment within subscriber categories should require transparent and technically justified safeguards.
Vodafone Idea, however, appears to have adopted a more direct approach both publicly and in its submissions, where sources said it described such services as discriminatory in nature.
People aware of the matter said some form of regulatory intervention or clarification is now expected as the government and policymakers examine whether existing net neutrality rules adequately address consumer-facing slicing-based services in the 5G era.
Emerging From Survival Mode
For Vi, the campaign also serves a broader strategic purpose. The company recently received AGR-related relief measures from the government, approved a fresh Rs 4,730 crore fundraise from an Aditya Birla Group entity, and expanded 5G services to more than 80 cities.
Against that backdrop, the campaign appears designed not only to challenge Airtel’s product strategy, but also to signal that Vodafone Idea intends to re-enter the telecom battle more aggressively after years spent focused primarily on survival.