Blitz India Business
NEW DELHI: India may soon revisit its net neutrality framework as the Government considers allowing telecom operators to offer differentiated internet connectivity and speeds for specialised services such as cloud gaming, healthcare, autonomous vehicles and smart factories, while charging different rates for such offerings, The Economic Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The move comes as rapid advancements in 5G technology – particularly network slicing – have exposed limitations in the country’s existing net neutrality rules, which were formally adopted in 2018. The report said the current framework prohibits telecom companies from offering preferential connectivity for specialised services, but officials believe the rules may now require clarification to keep pace with technological developments.
Net neutrality requires internet service providers to treat all internet traffic equally, without deliberately blocking, throttling or prioritising specific content, websites or services. While the principle remains unchanged, the emergence of 5G slicing has created uncertainty over how these rules should apply to new enterprise and consumer use cases, the report added.
Quoting an official familiar with the matter, The Economic Times reported that the Government has already sought recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). “We have sent a reference to Trai to work on the matter and suggest what changes or clarifications have to be incorporated in the net neutrality rules,” the official told the publication.
The report noted that any changes are unlikely to dilute the core principle of an open internet. As quoted by The Economic Times, the same official said safeguards would remain in place to prevent any “walled garden” approach. “The internet will remain free and paid preferential treatment to select content like to a particular website will not be allowed,” the official said.