The Broadband India Forum (BIF) cautioned the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on September 15 that application-specific network slicing could violate India’s net neutrality principles. BIF submitted counter-comments on TRAI’s proposed 2024 Quality of Service (QoS) regulation amendments, highlighting risks of giving certain apps or websites preferential speeds or access, which could disadvantage regular internet users during congestion, according to medianama.com.
BIF responded to stakeholder proposals advocating Quality-on-Demand (QoD) for services like live streaming, cloud gaming, and live broadcasting. It argued that offering different speeds or access terms to select applications could amount to paid prioritisation and content discrimination. For instance, operators might create fast lanes with guaranteed bandwidth and lower latency for specific OTT platforms, potentially charging these platforms for such treatment, which BIF said conflicts with net neutrality.
The forum emphasised that while network slicing can support 5G and enterprise use cases, its deployment must remain transparent and non-discriminatory to align with net neutrality. BIF’s submission underscores concerns that application-specific QoD could undermine the open internet by privileging certain content providers, a key issue as India advances its 5G infrastructure and regulatory framework.
BIF’s detailed submission to TRAI on September 15 addresses these concerns amid ongoing discussions on the 2024 QoS regulation amendments, marking a critical input in shaping India’s approach to balancing innovative network management with net neutrality protections.