Airtel is rolling out its 5G network services across eight Indian cities – Delhi, Varanasi, Nagpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai and Siliguri. While the Airtel 5G recharge plans are still unknown, there are talks that it could be priced similar to the 4G plans of Airtel and will not be very expensive. The company has said that it will announce the 5G recharge plans soon.
Also Read – Post Office Gram Suraksha Scheme: Invest Rs 50 daily to get 35 lakhs on maturity; check details
The Airtel 5G services began rolling out on October 1. The company aims to cover all key cities by the end of December. In the next, it plans to cover another set of 50-60 cities by March 2023 and the entire country by March 2024.
According to a report from Economic Times, Airtel will reveal its 5G recharge plans in the coming few days. Reportedly, the telco will not increase the tariff due to the low 5G subscriber base.
A senior BSNL executive while talking to the publication said that increasing the tariff for 5G at this stage won’t affect the average revenue per user (ARPU) due to the current low subscriber base. The taxes could go up in future but not at this moment.
The official added that currently there are less than 10 per cent of 5G-ready phones so whatever the tariff, it will not affect ARPU which means no significant returns for the company. The company is in talks with smartphone companies asking their devices to be ready for Airtel’s 5G services. It is also pushing Apple for a software update where the 5G services could also be compatible with devices lower than iPhone 14 series.
Also Read – Reliance Jio users can start using 5G for free from today, but conditions apply: All your questions answered
Airtel’s competitor, Jio saw the rollout of the 5G services on October 5 but it isn’t available for everyone. Initially, on a trial basis, the company will roll out the 5G services in only four cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Varanasi. The telecom company will begin by sending an invite to select Jio users as a part of the beta test.
