Apple And Airtel To Discuss 5G Support Timeline

Airtel announced the rollout of its 5G services last week. Although the iPhone 12 and newer models are 5G-capable, they do not currently support Airtel’s 5G network. According to the latest report, Apple is planning to release an iOS update that will enable 5G for the iPhones in India by December.

As per an ET report, senior executives from Apple and Bharti Airtel will be meeting this week to talk about the timeline for rolling out software updates to enable 5G-capable iPhones. This reportedly comes after the issue was escalated in the respective companies. The two firms will discuss the cause of the delay and ascertain the timeline to get 5G working on iPhones.

“Apple is currently testing their devices in cities like Mumbai and Delhi on Airtel’s 5G network, and may roll out the update supporting 5G to supported iPhone models by December,” a source close to the company stated. The source added that Apple will first thoroughly validate its devices for 5G functions. Only once the iPhone maker ensures that the network will work well on iPhones will it release an update to enabling 5G for its devices.

Currently, Airtel 5G Plus services are available to customers in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Nagpur, and Varanasi. Customers with 5G-enabled smart phones can enjoy high-speed Airtel 5G Plus on their existing data plans. They won’t have to change their SIM cards to avail the benefits of 5G since the existing Airtel 4G SIM is 5G enabled. Multiple smartphone companies such as Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, and Realme already support Airtel’s 5G Plus.