The wait for 5G support on iPhone 12, 13 and 14 in India finally ends today. Apple has begun rolling out the much-awaited iOS 16.2 on all eligible iPhones for both Airtel and Jio 5G network. iPhone owners are the most-coveted subscribers for operators since they are most likely to own premium phone plans and are easily monetisable for 5G. Experts note that Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel will start adding 5G subscriptions fast after this update. Apple was the last OEM to announce its 5G update.
At the same time, other OEMs such as Samsung, Realme, Vivo, Xiaomi, and Oppo claim that most of their devices are compatible with Bharti Airtel and Jio’s 5G network. However, on-boarding on the 5G network of these devices has not been seamless.
Faisal Kawoosa, the Chief Analyst and Founder of TechArc, said, “Operators continue to encounter hiccups onboarding 5G-enabled devices to their network.”
Users complain
Users are reporting errors on the Airtel Thanks App. While Airtel has published the list of devices compatible with its 5G network, Jio has not done the same yet.
Jio’s 5G network differs from Airtel’s since they are deploying a standalone 5G network, while Airtel is deploying a 5G network layer on top of its existing 4G network. This means that devices compatible with Airtel’s 5G network might not necessarily be compatible with Jio’s 5G network.
Therefore, users turn to social media to get clarity on whether their devices are consistent with the operator’s 5G network, but are left with conflicting answers. They also reported that even when their devices are compatible with the operators’ networks and are in areas with 5G availability, their devices are unable to connect to the network.
Vi users need to wait
“We have been implementing OTA updates for our devices to ensure that all our users can take advantage of 5G. Ninety-five per cent of our devices already support SA, and 100 per cent of our devices will have full SA support soon,” said the Realme spokesperson when businessline contacted Realme for a statement.
Vodafone Idea subscribers will have to wait since the operator is yet to announce when it will commence deploying its 5G network. Vodafone Idea leadership has noted that future capex for 4G and 5G has been stalled until the company can raise additional funds. Since last year, Vi has been targeting raising ₹20,000 crore — through a mix of debt and equity — to no avail. Voda Idea is in a Catch-22 as the government of India has yet to convert Vi’s debt into equity, seeking further investments first. Investors and promoters refuse to infuse further funds into the company before the debt conversion.
