Reliance Jio has opposed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) proposed 80% Physical Resource Block (PRB) utilisation threshold for 5G network slicing, arguing that high resource use does not necessarily indicate network congestion or degraded internet speeds. Jio submitted its counter-comments on September 15 during TRAI’s consultation on amendments to the 2024 Quality of Service regulations, urging the regulator to withdraw the proposed restrictions.
In its submission, Jio challenged the assumption that PRB utilisation is a reliable proxy for customer experience or network congestion. The company stated that mandating automatic capacity augmentation once the 80% threshold is breached is neither accurate nor scientifically valid. While some stakeholders supported TRAI’s intervention at this utilisation level, and others called for mandatory capacity increases and consumer notifications, Jio maintained that the entire measure should be removed from the regulations.
The debate over network slicing regulation reflects broader tensions between telecom operators and industry bodies on how to balance network management with net neutrality protections. Network slicing allows operators to allocate dedicated resources for different services on 5G networks. TRAI’s proposed threshold aimed to ensure quality of service by triggering capacity augmentation or notifications when utilisation crosses 80%, but Jio’s opposition highlights challenges in defining congestion and customer experience metrics in this context.
TRAI’s consultation on the 2024 Quality of Service amendments is ongoing, with multiple stakeholders submitting feedback. The regulator has yet to announce a final decision on the network slicing provisions, which will impact how 5G operators manage resources and notify consumers about network performance.