The last quarter of 2022 saw the launch of the 5G network in India followed by telecom operators and smartphone makers enabling the same on their devices. As 5G is catching traction, India will move aggressively in terms of 5G rollouts in the coming months with an all-India coverage expected to finish by March 2024.
As 2023 unfolds, telecom trends are taking shape giving people a view into what’s coming ahead in terms of 5G. Both Jio 5G and Airtel 5G are aggressively moving into the space expanding every day while BSNL will take on the 4G coverage. Vi is also making strides to capture 5G audiences.
Reliance Jio 5G Expects To Deploy 5G by 2023
Reliance Jio has already added the ‘True 5G’ network in dozens of cities and continues to grow at an exponential rate. Reliance head honcho Mukesh Ambani stated that Jio’s 5G deployment will complete in 2023 during a recent Reliance Family Day function. This update comes a day after Jio launched 5G services in 11 cities across India including Mysore, Nashik, Chandigarh, Tricity, and Trivandrum among others.
At present, Jio 5G is available across 3 district headquarters in Gujarat as well as metros like Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru among others. Jio aims to leverage the 5G network as a fulcrum to end the rural-urban divide offering high-quality healthcare and education benefits to the users.
Reliance Jio’s 5G is based on a standalone network type unlike others and that has enabled it to expand exponentially. At present, Jio 5G is available at the cut-throat rates of 4G data although expect it to increase once the use cases become mainstream. You can avail of 5G on Jio with a welcome offer of INR 239 and above to get unlimited 5G without the expense of it.
Airtel 5G Plus Coverage In Urban India 2023
Bharti Airtel or Airtel is actively and aggressively rolling out a 5G network in India as well. Dubbed as ‘Airtel 5G Plus’, the 5G network offers high-speed internet across metropolitan cities including but not limited to Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Mumbai among others. It has released a list of 5G-supported devices that will be able to harness the power of 5G.
According to the folks at 91mobiles, Airtel 5G Plus was able to give speeds of 1,000Mbps (or 1 Gbps) during its trial. It tipped at 3Gbps during testing in Hyderabad which is three times that of 5G from Reliance Jio.
Airtel reached 1 million 5G users in less than 30 days of launching the same in 8 cities and now, it is expanding to cover other parts of the cities it exists in while adding new cities every day. In total, it has coverage in over 18+ cities and promises to reach major cities in the country by 2023.
Airtel 5G Plus lets charges rates for 4G for 5G unlimited internet to lure in more users as it combats the likes of Jio and Vi. It is cheaper than the recharge options from Jio itself allowing users to not have a specific minimum recharge plan for the same.
Vi 5G in 2023
The 5G network officially launched in October 2022 with three major telcos in India. Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have been at the forefront with their 5G rollouts while Vi 5G is nowhere to be seen. For those unaware, Vi hasn’t launched its 5G network. It has upgraded its existing 4G network with MIMO and DSR among other technologies and has promised to launch 5G during 5G auctions.
Vi users are now bombarded with messages claiming that Vi has launched 5G and that users can click on the link to upgrade. However, Vi has been vocal that the messages are from scammers and not from Vi who is yet to launch the 5G tech in the country.
BSNL 4G and 5G in 2023
Late but never too late, BSNL has expressed its plans to roll out 4G services in India from early 2023. It will be available across 45,180 villages that don’t have access to 4G networks at the moment. It has partnered with TCS to bring 4G onboard. The 5G network from BSNL is also in the works and expected to be launched sometime in August 2023 although nothing is set in stone for sure.
According to Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan during Lok Sabha, said that as of March 2022; 38,901 villages don’t have towers and network coverage. The project is expected to cost a whopping INR 26,316 crore for completion with one-fifth of the funds allocated to villages in the remote locations.
Jio Phone 5G To Launch in India Soon
As we finally got our hands on 5G networks in India, 5G phones have become mainstream and a selling point for many. Jio Phone 5G has been spotted passing required certifications inching closer to its launch. It was spotted on Geekbench recently with 549 and 1661 points on single-core and multi-core tests.
Clad with model number LS1654QB5, the Jio Phone 5G is powered by a Snapdragon SoC believed to be Snapdragon 480+ SoC. There’s 5G (of course) and the phone uses Android 12 OS out-of-the-box for the software with GMS Services plus Jio Suite of Apps. A 4GB RAM gives the phone much-needed speed and that’s something we saw on Geekbench as well.
The Jio Phone 5G is reportedly coming with a 6.5” HD+ LCD 90Hz panel with an 8MP selfie cam and a 13MP rear dual camera. Reliance has supplied Jio Phone 5G with a 5,000mAh battery under the hood backed with 18W fast charging as per the leaks.
The phone is purported as an ultra-affordable model with pricing based between INR 8,000 to 10,000/- although there are reports that suggest it will be priced under the INR 15,000/- segment given the 5G tech onboard. Other specifications as reported are USB-C, GPS, Bluetooth 5.1, and Wi-Fi 802.11n, among others.
