Apple confirms 5G software update for iPhone in India but it will be a long wait

Apple on Wednesday said that 5G software will start rolling out to compatible iPhone models in India in December — more than two months after the 5G rollout in major cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Varanasi. The announcement comes as the government nudged top smartphone brands to accelerate the process of 5G software deployment in the country to ensure faster adoption. Top brass from companies, including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Micromax, met with bureaucrats to discuss early 5G adoption.

“We are working with our carrier partners in India to bring the best 5G experience to iPhone users as soon as network validation and testing for quality and performance is completed,” Apple told IANS. “5G will be enabled via a software update and will start rolling out to iPhone users in December,” it added.

Those using iPhone 14, iPhone 13, iPhone 12 and iPhone SE (third generation) models will get an upcoming software update on 5G. Apple claims it does extensive testing with carrier partners to ensure a great experience for iPhone users. Airtel’s chief technology officer Rajeev Sekhon recently said in an interview with The Indian Express that the company is working with Apple for 5G testing on iPhones.

The support for 5G on iPhone has now extended to over 250 carrier partners in over 70 markets around the world, with expanded support for standalone networks. However, in India, iPhone will not support mmWave 5G. The mmWave versions of the latest iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro series are exclusive to the US, much like previous models. This means that iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 users in India may not be able to use Reliance Jio’s 700MHz-powered 5G internet. We will find out more about the 5G bandwidth support on the iPhones in the coming days.

Meanwhile, with 5G services having been launched in the country earlier this month, the government convened a meeting of handset manufacturers and telecom service providers to ensure a smooth transition towards the new technology. Airtel and Reliance Jio have rolled out their 5G services in key metros in a phased manner. While Airtel 5G Plus is now available in eight cities, Jio’s True5G is under beta trials in four cities.

— Written with inputs from IANS

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