Airtel 'Fast Lane' boosts premium speeds, OpenSignal backs fairness concerns
Airtel's "Fast Lane" plan gives premium postpaid users noticeably faster speeds and lower lag, all thanks to network slicing technology.
But this move is stirring up questions about whether it's fair to let some users get better internet just because they pay more, a point backed up by OpenSignal's crowdsourced data.
Experts fear premium priority slows users
Experts are concerned that prioritizing premium users could slow things down for everyone else, since there's only so much network to go around.
As one analyst put it, "With data now showing a clear advantage in speed, it brings back the question whether a cellular network is allowed to differentiate users on the same network through varied speeds."
Rival telecom companies aren't happy either: they raised concerns about whether prioritized access to premium users would affect the service quality of standard users.