Govt nudges Apple, Samsung and others to ‘prioritise’ 5G software upgrades in India

Although there are concerns that many existing models of smartphones are not prepared for the newly announced high-speed service, the Indian government will encourage Apple, Samsung, and other mobile phone manufacturers to prioritise software upgrades to allow 5G across the country.

On October 1, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the introduction of 5G services to considerable excitement; major telecom provider Reliance Jio said it will provide the service in four locations, while competitor Bharti Airtel said it would offer it in eight. Both organisations have committed to expanding the programme in 2019.

However, according to three industry insiders and Airtel’s website, neither the newest iPhone 14 nor several of Samsung’s flagship phones have software suitable with enabling 5G in India.

According to a government document obtained by Reuters, senior officials from India’s telecommunications and IT sectors will chair a conference on Wednesday for early 5G adoption, and they have invited executives from smartphone makers like Apple, Samsung, Vivo, and Xiaomi.

The notification for the secret meeting claimed that discussion of “prioritising” and “releasing” software updates to enable the high-speed network would be on the agenda.

A request for comment was made, but no one from Apple Inc, Samsung Electronics, Vivo, or Xiaomi Corp, or any of the three local cellular companies has yet responded. Even the government’s own IT and communications agencies were silent.

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India, the second largest mobile market in the world after China, claims that the introduction of 5G would offer fast internet to its citizens and have positive social and economic effects in fields like farming and medicine.

Jio, India’s largest mobile network with over 420 million users, won an auction for $19 billion worth of 5G spectrum in August. More over $5 billion was spent by Airtel, while more than $2 billion was spent by Vodafone.

While conversations between telecom providers and smartphone vendors have been ongoing, one industry insider has noted that it is taking some time to resolve compatibility difficulties between the unique 5G technology of telecom companies in India and phone software.

On Tuesday, under the 5G compatible area of the Airtel website, all twelve to fourteen incarnations of the Apple iPhone displayed the message “Apple yet to upgrade software.” Airtel said that although several Samsung models were not 5G ready, over three dozen Xiaomi and Vivo devices were shown as being compatible with its 5G service.

“Apple has been taking a lot of time. Airtel has been concerned about this as many of their premium clients are on Apple devices  “according to a second authoritative source in the sector, who also confirmed that discussions between Apple and Airtel have been ongoing.

A third reliable source said that Apple was now evaluating and testing several 5G options from network operators in India.

(With inputs from Reuters)