UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Airtel defends ‘Priority Postpaid’; Jio for service launch after consultation
Q1. In the context of India's net neutrality framework, the term "reasonable traffic management" refers to which one of the following?
- A. Permitted network practices—such as managing congestion or ensuring network security—that do not amount to content-based discrimination
- B. The practice of offering selected partner applications to subscribers free of any data charges
- C. Mandatory throttling of all bandwidth-heavy applications during peak hours to enforce equity among users
- D. A tariff structure under which subscribers are charged differential rates depending on the websites they access
Q2. Which one of the following was the first regulatory instrument to formally enshrine net neutrality in India by prohibiting discriminatory data tariffs?
- A. TRAI's Prohibition of Discriminatory Tariffs for Data Services Regulations, 2016
- B. The Department of Telecommunications' 2018 amendment to telecom licence conditions
- C. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997
- D. The Information Technology Act, 2000
Q3. How many standardised service (slice) categories are generically defined for 5G, of which network slicing enables dedicated virtual partitions?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Five
Q4. Consider the following as standardised 5G service (slice) types:
1. Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)
2. Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC)
3. Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC)
4. Guaranteed Symmetric Broadcast Multicast (GSBM)
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as a standardised 5G slice type?
- Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB)
- Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communication (URLLC)
- Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC)
- Guaranteed Symmetric Broadcast Multicast (GSBM)
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 3 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 2 and 4
Q5. Airtel's "Priority Postpaid" service is best described as which one of the following?
- A. A consumer 5G plan that reserves a dedicated network-capacity 'slice' giving subscribers assured speed/bandwidth in congested areas
- B. A scheme under which all partner applications are delivered to postpaid users entirely free of data charges
- C. A plan that completely blocks prepaid users from the 5G network to reserve capacity exclusively for postpaid subscribers
- D. An arrangement that always prioritises specific streaming platforms over every other type of internet content
Q6. With reference to Airtel's "Priority Postpaid" service, consider the following statements:
1. It is the first consumer-facing use of 5G network slicing in India.
2. Airtel stated that it involves no blocking, throttling or content-specific prioritisation.
3. It applies zero-rating to selected content for priority subscribers.
4. It was commercially launched in May 2026.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- It is the first consumer-facing use of 5G network slicing in India.
- Airtel stated that it involves no blocking, throttling or content-specific prioritisation.
- It applies zero-rating to selected content for priority subscribers.
- It was commercially launched in May 2026.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 1, 2 and 4
- C. 2 and 4 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q7. In the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology, the largest share of members is drawn from which one of the following?
- A. Lok Sabha
- B. Rajya Sabha
- C. State Legislative Assemblies
- D. Members nominated by the President
Q8. Consider the following ministries/departments:
1. Ministry of Communications (Department of Telecommunications and Department of Posts)
2. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
3. Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
4. Ministry of Home Affairs
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as falling under the jurisdiction of the Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology?
- Ministry of Communications (Department of Telecommunications and Department of Posts)
- Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
- Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
- Ministry of Home Affairs
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1, 2 and 3
- C. 2, 3 and 4
- D. 1, 3 and 4
Q9. The statement that the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has both "recommendatory and regulatory" functions is best understood to mean which one of the following?
- A. TRAI issues binding regulations (e.g., on tariffs and quality of service) and also tenders recommendations to the government, not all of which are binding
- B. Every recommendation made by TRAI is binding on the Central Government without any exception
- C. TRAI can only advise the government and has no power to frame any binding regulation
- D. TRAI exclusively adjudicates telecom disputes and never fixes tariffs or standards
Q10. Which one of the following is the statutory authority primarily charged with regulating telecom tariffs and overseeing quality-of-service and net-neutrality compliance in India?
- A. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)
- B. Department of Telecommunications (DoT)
- C. Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT)
- D. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)
Q11. In its November 2025 submission to TRAI, what did Reliance Jio primarily advocate with respect to net neutrality?
- A. That TRAI adopt a 'flexible approach' recognising traffic management and technology innovations such as 5G network slicing
- B. That net neutrality rules be scrapped entirely, leaving all data prioritisation unregulated
- C. That zero-rating of partner content be permitted for premium subscribers
- D. That 5G network slicing be banned outright as inherently incompatible with net neutrality
Q12. With reference to the distinction between prohibited and permitted practices under India's net neutrality framework, consider the following statements:
1. Zero-rating, such as Facebook's Free Basics, was prohibited by TRAI's 2016 regulation.
2. Reasonable traffic management undertaken for congestion or network security is permitted as an exception.
3. 'Equal rating'—providing limited free data that allows access to the entire internet—is prohibited along with zero-rating.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Zero-rating, such as Facebook's Free Basics, was prohibited by TRAI's 2016 regulation.
- Reasonable traffic management undertaken for congestion or network security is permitted as an exception.
- 'Equal rating'—providing limited free data that allows access to the entire internet—is prohibited along with zero-rating.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3