Amid worries that many of their models aren’t prepared for the recently established high-speed service, India’s government will pressure Apple, Samsung, and other mobile phone manufacturers to prioritise releasing software upgrades to enable 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 will provide the service in four locations and competitor Bharti Airtel in eight. Both businesses declared that the service will be increased in 2019.
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 compatible with 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 having discussions “to prioritise” and releasing software upgrades for supporting the high-speed network.
According to India, the rollout of 5G in the second-largest mobile market in the world, after China, would give users access to high-speed internet while also having positive socioeconomic effects on industries like agriculture and health.
(with inputs from agencies)
