Following criticism of Bharti’s Airtel’s launch of Priority Postpaid, Vodafone Idea (Vi) has launched a social media campaign promising equal network to all its users.
“India’s digital growth has been built on the foundation of affordable and connectivity for all… At Vi, we strongly believe that every customer deserves a fair and consistent network experience. Offering preferential speeds or services based on user profile, raises questions around equity and principles of an equal digital ecosystem,” said Avneesh Khosla, Chief Marketing Officer, Vi.
Stating that customer-first monetisation is paramount for India’s digital growth, Vi stressed the need to be transparent and “most of all remain inclusive.”
The debt-ridden firm has started an online campaign encouraging people to “change to Vi” accompanied with slogans like “No more, no less but equal network to all” and “Strong Network. Sabka Haq.”
The telecom said that everyone is a priority with Vi, which has added over 2,20,000 new towers, expanded Vi 5G in over 110 cities, and AI-based self-optimizing network technology that intelligently adapts to help deliver stronger connectivity — even in crowded areas.
“A stronger network should feel strong for everyone, everywhere,” said the Vi poster.
Earlier this week, Vi had responded to the government’s call for submissions regarding network slicing’s impact on net neutrality by urging the government to set up consultations, as per sources. Vi had argued for regular consultations and regulatory understanding around net neutrality when considering such postpaid plans. The telco reportedly called Airtel’s Postpaid plan discriminatory , as per media reports.
Vi recently enjoyed a favourable quarter with AGR restructuring, network rollouts, promoter investment and an improved balance sheet. With a lookout for bank funding, the company said it is keen on improving customer experience this year.
Meanwhile, Reliance Jio refrained from its competitor’s new pack, as per sources. However, as per submissions accessed by businessline, Jio said network slicing-based service deployments are a legitimate exercise of 5G network capabilities. While it said that different slice for different business class or veticals meets net neutrality requirements, Jio argued that charging based preferential slicing within any class must be justified under traffic management requirements.
Standing its ground, Airtel staunchly stuck to the argument that the plan does not hinder net neutrality or user experience since any degradation in prepaid experience would be counterproductive to the company’s core business.