Bharti Airtel earlier made a bid of Rs 43,084 Crores to secure 19,867.8 MHz of 5G Spectrum across five bands in the recent biggest auction of telecom spectrum. Now, in India Mobile Congress, Airtel has launched its 5G services. Today in this read, we have discussed everything about Airtel 5G in India, including supported bands, plans, speeds, and a list of rollout cities. You can also check out our complete coverage on JIO 5G in India to answer all your concerns and doubts.
Airtel 5G in India: Everything you Need to Know
The 5G rollout in India has finally been going on a spree, with Bharti Airtel acquiring five 5G spectrum bands in 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz frequency in the recent telecom auction. It has recently partnered with several tech giants such as Nokia, Samsung, and Ericcson to deploy a wide-scale 5G network infrastructure across the country.
The company has recently been all over the news for successfully testing out its first 5G Private Network at Bosch Automotive Electronics India Pvt Ltd (RBAI) facility in Bengaluru. Following its success, Airtel is now spearheading the 5G technology in India by rigorously testing it at several locations in major cities across India. Without any further delay,
let’s look at all the details you need to know about the upcoming Airtel 5G in India.
Airtel 5G Spectrum Purchase and Supported Bands
As opposed to Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel focussed primarily on capturing sub-GHz and high-speed frequency bands in the recent telecom auction and acquired the following 5G bands in the country:
- n8: 900 MHz
- n3: 1800 MHz
- n1: 2100 Mhz
- n78: 3300 MHz
- n258: 26GHz
What’s more interesting to see is that the company stayed away from the lower 700 MHz bands, i.e. (n28), to which its executives explain that the operating cost and carbon emissions involved in this frequency are much higher and offer less speed in the 5G domain. Here’s the list of spectrum allocation acquired by Bharti Airtel for 5G in all 22 circles of India:
- Interestingly, Airtel bought the entire 100 MHz in the 3300 frequency band (n78) to compete strongly with its rival, Reliance Jio, in the mid-sub-6GHz spectrum.
- In addition, Bharti Airtel has invested in the 2100 MHz frequency band (n1) to provide better 5G network services and gain a cutting-edge advantage over Reliance Jio.
Airtel 5G Launch Date and Supported Cities
Airtel is all set to roll out its 5G services starting on 1st October of 2022 in India. It will actively team up with three major tech giants, Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung, to fulfill its global 5G deployment. By reasonable assumption, you are most likely to experience Airtel 5G on your device by the end of March 2023 across major Indian cities, which will be further expanded to all towns and rural in the country by March 2024. Starting 1st October Airtel’s 5G services are available in 8 cities, like Delhi, Varanasi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and more.
Other major Tier-1 Indian cities for the initial rollout are listed below:
- Gurugram,
- Hyderabad,
- Kolkata,
- Lucknow,
- Mumbai,
- Pune,
- Chandigarh,
- Delhi,
- Chennai,
- Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad.
Do you have to buy a Separate 5G Sim Card?
Technically the answer is No. Airtel has said that its existing SIM cards are 5G-enabled and would function flawlessly on 5G handsets, once the 5G service rolls starting today. However, you must ensure that you’re using a 5G-enabled smartphone supporting the 5G bands that your carrier network has to offer. You can also read our guide to check the 5G bands supported in your area.
Airtel 5G Speed
Airtel has been actively testing its 5G service across several major cities across India, including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Bengaluru. A recent trial conducted by Airtel in Gurugram showcased internet download speeds of over 1Gbps, which is significantly faster than any 4G connection has ever offered in India. Surprisingly, the 5G trial in Hyderabad proved to be a massive success for Airtel offering a whooping download speed of over 3Gbps, which is considerably faster than 5G trials conducted by other telecom companies.
Airtel’s #5G trial network speeds in Gurgaon. Running on Ericsson gear. pic.twitter.com/nLctWjIHuX
— Danish (@DanishKh4n) June 14, 2021
Pricing of Upcoming 5G Plans
Like 4G, pricing is the most important factor that will decide the affordability of the upcoming 5G plans in the telecom industry. While this new technology might cost you a few additional bucks compared to your existing 4G plans, Bharti Airtel’s CTO, Randeep Sekhon, has assured people that there won’t be much difference between 4G and 5G plans on Airtel. According to a senior company official, Airtel 5G services will be available at existing 4G rates and a new tariff for 5G will be announced after some time. However, we might witness new 5G plans in the price bracket of 400-500 INR.
FAQs
Q: Do I need a 5G SIM to use Airtel 5G SIM in India?
A: Airtel has said that its existing SIM cards are 5G-enabled and would function flawlessly on 5G handsets, once the 5G service rolls starting 1st October 2022, in 8 cities.
Q: When is JIO 5G launching in India?
A: Please refer to our detailed article about India’s JIO 5G service launch.
Q: What is the speed of an Airtel 5G connection?
A: The initial 5G trial reports showcased a peak internet speed ranging from 1Gbps to 3Gbps, which is significantly faster than any existing 4G plan in India.
Q: How to upgrade your Airtel 4G Sim to 5G?
A: Airtel has said that its existing SIM cards are 5G-enabled and would work on 5G handsets. Your smartphone brand will push an OTA update on your 5G phone to enable 5G connectivity, Realme has already confirmed to push an update in October itself.
Wrapping Up
So, that’s all the crucial information you need to know now on Airtel 5G in India. We hope you find this read helpful and informative to keep you in the loop for the upcoming 5G boom in the telecom industry. As always, hit the Like button and subscribe to GadgetsToUse for more quality articles.
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