GSMA said on Thursday that network slicing could drive the next wave of 5g innovation in India, as Bharti Airtel launched a new service called Priority Postpaid that uses the technology. The wireless industry group said the country’s more than Rs 4 lakh crore investment in 5g rollout has laid the groundwork for the next stage of digital growth.
The statement put India in a broader global race for advanced network services, saying countries including China, the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Malaysia have already launched or are piloting network slicing-enabled offerings. GSMA said India is now well positioned to play a leading role not only in the next phase of digital transformation, but also in future 6g evolution.
Network slicing is a critical capability of standalone 5g networks. It allows multiple virtual networks to run on shared infrastructure, giving operators the ability to tailor performance for different uses without building separate physical systems. GSMA said that makes it useful for advanced manufacturing, healthcare, smart cities, public safety and immersive digital experiences across India.
The timing matters because operators in India have already poured more than four lakh crore rupees into nationwide 5g deployment, and the industry is now looking for services that can turn that spending into new revenue and new uses. Airtel’s launch is the clearest sign yet that slicing is moving from a technical promise to a consumer-facing product, even as the wider market is still taking shape.
That is also where the friction sits. GSMA said the technology is being explored and deployed across several international markets within their policy and regulatory frameworks, but India’s next step will depend on how quickly operators, regulators and enterprise users can turn a network capability into something that reaches beyond trial and publicity. For now, the investment is done. The race is to show what it can actually do.
