Bharti Airtel has accelerated its 5G expansion across northern India while rebranding its recently launched Priority Postpaid offering as "Fast Lane", a service that has drawn attention over concerns around net neutrality.The telecom operator on Wednesday said it has deployed more than 2,900 new 5G sites across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir over the past year. The rollout spans 77 districts and is expected to benefit over 28.6 million customers across urban centres, smaller towns and rural areas.According to the company, Punjab accounted for more than 1,066 new sites, followed by Haryana with over 954, Jammu & Kashmir with 619 and Himachal Pradesh with 276. Airtel said the expansion is aimed at meeting rising data demand and improving network quality across the region."These 2,900-plus new 5G sites mean faster speeds, wider coverage and a more reliable experience for over 28.6 million customers," said Anupam Arora, CEO-Upper North, Bharti Airtel.Separately, according to a PTI report, Airtel has rebranded its recently launched Priority Postpaid service as "Fast Lane", weeks after introducing plans that promise enhanced network performance through 5G network slicing technology.The company has updated the branding across its website, while compatible mobile devices are also displaying the "Fast Lane" label, PTI reported.Airtel, however, said the move does not signal a withdrawal of the Priority Postpaid offering. "There is no question of withdrawal of our new post-paid plan," a company spokesperson told PTI, adding that the launch campaign had concluded and the new descriptor better captures the essence of the service.The service, launched in May, promises faster and more consistent connectivity during periods of network congestion by allocating a dedicated slice of network capacity to eligible postpaid users. The offering has sparked a debate over net neutrality, with critics arguing that preferential network access for premium subscribers could disadvantage prepaid users.PTI reported that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology had sought responses from the Department of Telecommunications and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on the impact of 5G network-slicing services and their implications for net neutrality.