5G launch in India: When can you use the ultra high-speed internet services?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G services at the India Mobile Congress 2022 today. The prime minister also witnessed demonstrations of the unique use cases of 5G at the event. The event, along with PM Modi and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, was attended by Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Bharti Mittal, and Kumar Mangalam Birla.

Ambani, Mittal and Birla spoke about the 5G services and their respective telcos – Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea – and how they plan to implement the ultra high-speed internet services. The trio, along with Gautam Adani’s company, put in bids in the recently-concluded 5G spectrum auction.

But when will these companies roll out 5G services? Here’s when:

Reliance Jio: Mukesh Ambani’s company had earlier stated during the Annual General Meeting that it would roll out 5G services in four cities by Diwali including Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

"Today, I want to reiterate Jio's commitment to delivering 5G to every town, every taluka, and every tehsil of our country by December 2023," said Mukesh Ambani. Speaking at the sidelines of the event, Akash Ambani, Chairman of Jio, also reiterated the timeline.

Airtel: Sunil Bharti Mittal said that eight cities including Delhi, Varanasi, Mumbai, Bangalore will get 5G services starting today. However, the services will reach every home by March 2024.

Vodafone Idea: Unlike rivals Jio and Airtel, Vodafone Idea has not announced a timeline for the roll out of 5G services. “Having taken concrete steps for the 5G ecosystem development, 5G use cases for Indian enterprises and consumers and acquisition of 5G spectrum in a very well-designed auction, we will soon begin the 5G roll out journey,” said Kumar Mangalam Birla, adding that the company’s networks have been constantly upgraded for smooth and swift migration to 5G.

It must be mentioned here that you will require a 5G-enabled mobile phone to use the 5G services when they roll out.

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