Airtel vs Vodafone Idea Telecom War Heats Up! Why Vi Is Mocking Airtel's 'Priority Postpaid' Push?

Days after Bharti Airtel defended its 'Priority Postpaid' service plan before a Department of Telecommunications (DoT) panel, Vodafone Idea (Vi) appeared to take an indirect jibe at its telecom rival through a recent campaign. In a social media post, Vi urged users to switch for a 'strong' and 'equal network for everyone'.

"Na kis ko kum na zada, sabko equal network ka wada (which means 'No one gets less, no one gets more-a promise of equal network for everyone') ', read a social media post shared by VI on Thursday, May 28.

VI's recent campaign has come days after Airtel faced backlash over its recent 'Priority Postpaid' service.

What is Airtel's Priority Postpaid Service Push?

Airtel, on May 19, launched 'Priority Postpaid' plan to provide faster data services and better services to its postpaid customers. The plan, as per Airtel, offers consistent speed even in crowded markets for postpaid customers. "Airtel Priority feature does not degrade the quality of service for any customer, whether prepaid or postpaid," PTI quoted Bharti Airtel's statement in its submission to DoT panel.

As per the company website, Airtel Priority Postpaid is a feature that leverages 5G slicing technology to deliver enhanced experience to customers on postpaid. "This feature is specially built for busy customers who depend on uninterrupted connectivity for work, entertainment, or online collaboration," as per Airtel website.

Airtel vs VI Battle

While Airtel is aiming to build on providing faster and enhanced services to its postpaid customers with 'Priority Postpaid', VI, in its recent campaign vouched for a stronger network for 'everyone' and 'everywhere'. Without explicitly mentioning any company in its campaign, VI stated 'everyone is a priority'

"Everyone is a priority with Vi. That's why we're continuously strengthening our network - we have added 2,20,000+ new towers, expanded Vi 5G in 110+ cities, and AI-based self-optimizing network technology that intelligently adapts to help deliver stronger connectivity - even in crowded areas," read a social media post by VI Customer Care.

The debt-ridden firm's online campaign, launched around the same time as Bharti Airtel's 'Priority' campaign, has once again brought the two telecom giants to loggerheads in India's oligopolistic telecom market. VI's social media campaign accompanied with slogans like 'No more, no less but equal network to all' and 'Strong Network, Sabka Haq'.

Airtel Zero Campaign

This is not the first time, Airtel is facing backlash over net neutrality, which is strictly enforced by DoT to ensure internet data is treated equally. Nearly a decade ago, 'Airtel Zero' campaign also faced questions over net neutrality concerns. Under the initiative, Airtel customers were allowed to use certain websites and applications for free via Airtel's mobile data network. However, the platform was later discontinued.