Indian telecommunications company, Bharti Airtel, recently announces that it will be launching a free internet service called Airtel Zero. However, it immediately caught the attention of net neutrality advocates after the company said that it has the right to implement guidelines that could help maximize its revenue, according to First Post.
Airtel Zero is an open market platform where customers are given full access to a variety of mobile apps completely for free, according to NDTV. The report added that the data charges will be paid by start-up and large companies who are advertising their respective apps.
Bharti Airtel chief for strategy Shayam Mardikar issued a statement at a conference in Mumbai saying that, "The Internet, I believe, was neutral, is neutral and will be neutral. There is absolutely no agenda, no direction, no industry force coming in a way."
Bharti Airtel's latest service has been on the center of the debate over net neutrality. The new service was reported to offer free access to selected internet websites along with various promotional apps sponsored by the company.
One example cited by many critics was the app called Flipkart, which is part of Airtel Zero. Flipkart users can access its services without paying for data charges. However, it was revealed later that the service charge will be shouldered by the company in hopes of further promoting its services.
This opened up the argument about the free nature of the Internet, wherein every company regardless of its size can have equal access to consumers.
Net neutrality clearly stipulates that every Internet Service Provider should not dictate how its users uses their respective data. This simply means that service providers like Airtel doesn't have the right to impose certain speed or access limitation to any website or app. By allowing access to Flipkart and discriminating access to other app or website, Airtel is in clear violation of some net neutrality rules.
Indian stand-up comedy group AIB (All Indian Bakchod) has recently released a YouTube video condemning Airtel's decision. The nine-minute video encourages its viewers to help "save" the Internet and not "break" it. They are also asking its viewers to send mail to the Telecom Regulation Authority of India in hopes of convincing them to help save Internet freedom from net neutrality violators.