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New Delhi: Telecom regulator TRAI's early assessment indicates that recently-announced Priority Postpaid plans of Bharti Airtel that leverage 5G network slicing do not violate net neutrality norms, a person aware of the matter said.The Telecom Regulatory Autho... New Delhi: Telecom regulator TRAI's early assessment indicates that recently-announced Priority Postpaid plans of Bharti Airtel that leverage 5G network slicing do not violate net neutrality norms, a person aware of the matter said.The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is, however, closely examining the issue to see whether 'slicing a chunk' to offer better service to certain postpaid customers deteriorates the quality of service offered to the remaining 5G subscribers.Also Read: Delhi HC upholds TRAI’s 12-minute ad cap for TV channelsThe regulator, which is also seeking more information from Airtel, has asked the operator to furnish data and clarifications related to the quality of service. No specific deadline has been fixed for completing the detailed examination and continuous monitoring will take place.For now, preliminary assessment has not shown any reason for immediate concern, the person said, adding that Bharti Airtel's Priority Postpaid plans do not violate net neutrality norms.Airtel has conveyed to TRAI that the offering leverages 5G network slicing to deliver an enhanced service experience to postpaid customers without degrading the service of any other customer. Airtel has said the priority postpaid plan has been implemented in a content-neutral manner.Also Read: As Jio IPO timeline nears, Ambani weighs on broadening stakeholder participationLast month, Airtel launched 'Priority Postpaid' plans promising consistent speed even in crowded markets for postpaid customers. The plan sparked off debate on whether such offerings violate the rules of the net neutrality framework.The telecom services provider promises that 5G Priority Postpaid will provide a fast lane to subscribers with the use of network slicing technology, even during peak traffic time, by dynamically separating a portion of the network for them from other categories of telecom services.On May 26, a parliamentary committee sought answers from the Department of Telecommunications and the TRAI to review the impact of 5G network slicing services in Singapore, the UK and a few other nations. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, headed by BJP leader Nishikant Dubey, noted that the priority postpaid plan of certain telecom operators could compromise the net neutrality of crores of prepaid mobile users.Bharti Airtel has defended its new offering before the Parliamentary panel meeting, asserting that the service, powered by 5G network slicing, neither violates net neutrality norms nor degrades service quality for prepaid users.On the other hand, Airtel rival Jio, in its submission, favoured the launching of such a service only after due examination by the Department of Telecom and competent government authorities against net neutrality principles. New Delhi: Telecom regulator TRAI's early assessment indicates that recently-announced Priority Postpaid plans of Bharti Airtel that leverage 5G network slicing do not violate...