Bharti Airtel’s 5G network slicing tech to shape devices, networks for AI era, say Ericsson, Nokia

Multinational telecom network kit makers Ericsson and Nokia said Bharti Airtel’s recently deployed fifth-generation (5G) network slicing technology will expedite the roll-out of artificial intelligence (AI) capable devices and applications, and shape networks for the intelligence era.

“Congratulations to India and Airtel for once again being at the forefront of 5G innovation,” Borje Ekholm, president & CEO of Ericsson, said on professional networking platform LinkedIn on Wednesday.

“Following one of the world’s fastest 5G deployments, India continues to strengthen its position among the most digitally advanced nations with Bharti Airtel’s pioneering launch of differentiated connectivity services for its postpaid customers,” Ekholm added.

By leveraging 5G Standalone (SA) architecture and advanced network slicing, Airtel can enhance capacity and capability to deliver targeted superior performance for its postpaid customers, he said.

“These capabilities will also accelerate the introduction of new AI devices and applications, which require consistent latency and uninterrupted performance,” Ekholm added.

The chief executive’s comment comes a day after the Sunil Mittal-led telecom carrier became the first in India to launch a 5G network slicing-enabled “Postpaid Priority” service, with subscription packs starting at ₹449 per month (ex-GST) with bundled over-the-top (OTT) content offerings.

“Bharti Airtel joins frontrunner service providers across the USA, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand that are offering differentiated go-to-market experiences, enabled by advanced 5G solutions,” Ekholm said.

The Stockholm-headquartered multinational, together with Finland’s Nokia and South Korean Samsung, is a 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) supplier to Airtel.

“Congratulations to Bharti Airtel on the launch of Priority Postpaid, bringing 5G network slicing to postpaid customers and joining a small group of operators globally delivering differentiated connectivity at scale,” Justin Hotard, president & CEO, Nokia, said on LinkedIn on Thursday.

“We are proud that Nokia technology is helping to power this capability,” said Hotard. Nokia’s 5G core and slicing capabilities are already powering differentiated connectivity for telcos across North America, Europe, and Asia, and now India.

“India continues to lead with innovation, scale, and speed. What Airtel is building today will help shape how networks evolve in the AI era, and we look forward to continuing to co-innovate together,” Hotard said.

5G network slicing is a core feature of the standalone architecture, which allows providing service-level agreement (SLA)-backed consumer and enterprise use cases.

At the most recent quarterly earnings call, Airtel India MD & CEO Shashwat Sharma had revealed that Airtel’s 5G mobile network has become SA-ready, while the FWA service is running fully on SA.

“The launch of 5G slicing services by Airtel is an innovation in 5G spectrum use, aligned with 3GPP standards,” the ITU-APT Foundation of India (IAFI) said on microblogging platform X on Wednesday. “Globally, network slicing is emerging as the next phase of 5G evolution, with operators like Singtel, U Mobile, and EE using it to provide enhanced customer experiences,” the industry association said.

Industry experts said Airtel’s 5G network slicing-based technological upgrade would offer more efficient services with additional capacity and would not violate the principle of net neutrality, ETTelecom reported in its May 19, 2026, edition.

Rival Reliance Jio, too, has said it plans to offer network slicing-driven premium 5G services to subscribers after receiving regulatory clarity.

“Slicing in general will not violate net neutrality, given pricing and quality. In fact, the technology will unlock the benefits of the next generation (5G) network,” SP Kochhar, director-general of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said.

The Delhi-based telco group represents Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea.

Airtel’s move signals that the postpaid offerings may kick-off Indian telcos’ 5G monetisation efforts, leveraging bandwidth-driven services. Both Airtel and Jio already sell commercial 5G fixed wireless access (FWA) services bundled with premium OTT services.

“Priority Postpaid is our latest innovation powered by the 5G slicing technology. It provides a superior, more reliable, and dependable experience to our customers — whether they are attending a client call in traffic, or streaming at a packed concert, or booking a cab in a crowded market,” Sharma said in a statement.