Summary:
The Indian government is reportedly reviewing its net neutrality framework to accommodate emerging 5G technologies such as network slicing. The proposed changes could allow telecom operators to offer differentiated connectivity and pricing for specialised services, including gaming, healthcare, autonomous vehicles, and smart manufacturing. Introduced in 2018, the current rules require equal treatment of all internet traffic, but the rollout of 5G has prompted policymakers to reassess the framework to better reflect evolving technological capabilities.
The Government of India is reportedly examining the possibility of updating its net neutrality framework to enable telecom operators to provide differentiated connectivity services and adopt flexible pricing for specialised applications such as online gaming, healthcare, autonomous vehicles, and smart manufacturing for both consumers and businesses.
Under the current regulations, telecom operators are not permitted to offer such differentiated services. However, rapid technological developments, particularly the emergence of 5G network slicing, have exposed limitations in the existing framework, which many now consider too restrictive. Net neutrality requires internet service providers to treat all online traffic equally, without blocking, throttling, or prioritising specific content, services, or applications based on speed or latency.
India formally implemented net neutrality rules in 2018. Since the commercial rollout of 5G in 2022, questions have arisen over how these regulations apply to advanced capabilities such as 5G network slicing, leading the government to explore potential revisions to better align the policy with evolving telecom technologies.
