Amid worries that many of their models aren’t prepared for the recently established high-speed service, the Union government will pressure Apple, Samsung, and other mobile phone manufacturers to prioritize releasing software upgrades to support 5G in the nation.
With great enthusiasm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi debuted 5G services on October 1. Leading telecom provider Reliance Jio said that it would offer the service in four locations and rival Bharti Airtel in eight. Both businesses declared that the service would be increased in 2019.
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However, according to three industry insiders and the website of Airtel, Apple’s iPhone models, including the most recent iPhone 14, and many of Samsung’s top smartphones, do not have software suited for enabling 5G in India.
Top bureaucrats from India’s telecoms and IT departments are worried about this and will preside over a meeting for early 5G adoption on Wednesday. According to a government document seen by Reuters, they have invited smartphone executives from international companies Apple, Samsung, Vivo, and Xiaomi, as well as domestic telecom operators Reliance, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, to attend.
The announcement for the closed-door meeting indicated that the agenda included holding discussions “to prioritize” and releasing software upgrades for supporting the high-speed network.
Requests for comment from Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics, Vivo, Xiaomi Corp., and the three domestic telecom operators did not immediately elicit a response. Both the telecom and IT departments of the government remained silent.
According to India, the rollout of 5G in the second-largest mobile market in the world (after China) will provide users with high-speed internet while also having positive socioeconomic effects on industries like agriculture and health.
In a $19 billion 5G spectrum auction in August, Jio, the largest mobile network in India with over 420 million subscribers, purchased airwaves worth $11 billion. While Vodafone gave away more than $2 billion, Airtel spent more than $5 billion.
While there have been negotiations between telecom providers and smartphone manufacturers, one of the individuals in the sector claimed that it is taking time to resolve compatibility problems between the unique 5G technology used by Indian telecom companies and phone software.
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On Tuesday, the 5G compatible part of Airtel’s website stated for all 12 to 14 models of Apple iPhones that “Apple still to upgrade software.” According to Airtel, many Samsung devices were also not ready, although more than 30 Xiaomi and Vivo models from China were listed as being compatible with the company’s 5G service.
“Apple has been dragging its feet a lot. Due to the fact that many of Airtel’s premium customers use Apple products, “According to a second industry source with firsthand knowledge of the circumstances, Apple and Airtel have been in communication.
