India To Push Apple, Samsung To Speed Up Updates To Support 5G Services

The Indian government is likely to push premium smartphone brands like Apple and Samsung to speed up rolling out updates to support 5G airwaves in their handsets.

According to Airtel, Apple's latest top-tier iPhone 14 series and Samsung's flagship Galaxy S22 line currently does not support 5G airwaves. Representative image.

The Indian government is likely to push premium smartphone brands like Apple and Samsung to speed up rolling out updates to support 5G airwaves in their handsets. Top bureaucrats from the telecoms and IT departments will chair a meeting tomorrow for early 5G adoption, asking handset makers from foreign companies Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi, and homegrown telecom operators Bharti Airtel Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea to be present, said a report by news agency Reuters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G services in India on October 1 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2022 amid much fanfare with one of the leading telcos Bharti Airtel announcing the launch of 5G in eight Indian cities on the same day. However, according to Airtel, Apple's latest top-tier iPhone 14 series and Samsung's flagship Galaxy S22 line currently does not support 5G airwaves.

The agenda includes holding talks "to prioritise" and release software upgrades for supporting the high-speed network, the notice for the closed-door meeting stated, the Reuters report added.

To recall, Bharti Airtel confirmed at the sixth edition of India Mobile Congress 2022 that it is launching its 5G services in the country, starting with select cities. The telecom major has confirmed that it will roll out 5G in eight cities starting October 1. Airtel is launching 5G telecom services in eight cities, which also includes four metro cities today and the roll out of services would cover the entire country by March 2024, said company chairperson Sunil Bharti Mittal at the IMC 2022 in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

Airtel subscribers getting 5G signals in their area can switch to 5G but if they find that 5G is consuming high data than can switch back to 4G network. "Access to 5G is optional," an Airtel spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

At present, 5G models of Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Realme and OnePlus are compatible with Airtel 5G Plus service.

Meanwhile, Reliance Jio is providing unlimited 5G data during the beta trial to select customers having a 5G smartphone.