5G telecom services were launched in India on Saturday at the India Mobile Congress event in Delhi. Representatives from the three major telecom providers in the country – Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone idea (Vi) – were also in attendance. Following the announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the three companies also announced their initial plans regarding the rollout of 5G in India. Reliance and Airtel also launched 5G services in selected cities. However, Vi has not announced a specific timeline for the launch of its 5G services.
Jio 5G in India
Reliance Jio’s 5G services will initially be offered by Diwali in the four metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Chairman Mukesh Ambani pledged to deliver affordable 5G services across India by December 2023. Ambani claims that Jio plans to become the first company to complete the rollout of high-quality and affordable 5G services than anywhere else in the world.
Most of Jio’s 5G technology is said to have been developed in India. Affordability is expected to bring high-quality education and skills development within the reach of ordinary Indians. This technology could be necessary for transforming AI, IoT, robotics, blockchain, the metaverse and more.
Airtel 5G in India
Airtel 5G has been launched in eight cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Siliguri and Ahmedabad. More cities will get these services by March 2023, with pan-Indian coverage promised in March 2024. The telco has revealed that it is in the process of gradually installing 5G towers in the said cities. Initially, 5G services will only be available near these towers.
Airtel officials have confirmed that 5G services will be launched at current 4G rates. The telecom provider plans to increase the 5G rate in the long term. However, customers must have 5G phones to access these services.
Vi 5G in India
Vi was the only company of the three to forgo the launch of 5G services on Saturday. The telco has expressed a desire to bring 5G services to its customers soon. It plans to leverage its strong presence in rural areas, business customers and technical partners to gradually roll out its 5G network and services in the country. Vi reportedly has more than 240 million customers in India, of which more than 50 percent are from rural areas. The telco has reportedly been constantly upgrading its network to allow for a smooth migration to 5G.
In a previous statement, Realme CEO Madhav Sheth confirmed that it has rolled out OTA updates for its devices to ensure they are compatible with 5G technology. Other smartphone brands are also expected to release similar updates to their devices.