Technology Desk: India’s leading telecom company Airtel recorded a record increase in postpaid customers during the first quarter of fiscal year 2027 (Q1FY27). According to reports from brokerage firms, the company delivered its best-ever performance in the postpaid segment this quarter. It is believed that the new Fast Lane service based on 5G network slicing and the improved network experience are driving a significant number of new customers to postpaid plans.

1 million new postpaid customers added in a quarter

Airtel added nearly 1 million new postpaid customers during Q1FY27, excluding Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) connections. This brings the company’s total postpaid customer base to 30 million. This is considered Airtel’s largest quarterly postpaid customer growth ever.

faster than the previous quarter

In the previous quarter, Q4FY26, the company added approximately 814,000 new postpaid customers. Compared to this, the addition of approximately 1 million new customers this time clearly indicates a surge in demand for postpaid plans. Postpaid users represent approximately 8% of the company’s total mobile customer base.

Fast Lane service became the big reason

International brokerage firm UBS believes that Airtel’s Fast Lane service may be a major contributor to its record increase in postpaid subscribers. Airtel launched a new service called Priority Postpaid in May 2026, which was later renamed Fast Lane. This service is specifically designed for premium postpaid customers to provide them with a better network experience.

The service is based on 5G Network Slicing technology.

The Fast Lane service is based on 5G Network Slicing technology, which reserves a separate portion of the network for premium customers, providing them with better speeds, less network congestion, and more stable connectivity.

This feature operates on the 5G Standalone (SA) architecture. Airtel is gradually upgrading its network from a Non-Standalone (NSA) to a Standalone (SA) network, which is expected to further improve the quality of 5G services in the future.

Goldman Sachs also expressed hope

According to global investment bank Goldman Sachs, the postpaid segment accounted for nearly 25 percent of Airtel’s new mobile customer base over the past 12 months. This indicates that the company’s premium plans are continuing to attract more people.

Rapidly increasing use of AI

Beyond network services, Airtel is also increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) in its internal operations. The company stated that approximately 30,000 of its field engineers are now using AI-based small tools developed by the company. These tools are enabling many network- technical tasks to be performed more quickly and accurately than before.

AI model will work in engineers’ phones

Airtel India Managing Director and CEO Shashwat Sharma stated during its Q1FY27 earnings call that the company has developed a small AI-based language model. This model runs on engineers’ standard smartphones and helps them understand and resolve technical issues in the field.

According to the company, this AI system has been developed in-house and is currently being used to increase the efficiency of the engineering team.