Airtel vs Reliance Jio vs Voda Idea: When will the telcos roll out 5G and how much will it cost?

5G technology, which was formally launched by PM Narendra Modi on October 1, is expected to reach its customers in select cities in the next few weeks. The much-discussed technology is expected to provide, high-speed internet, better download speed, and greater spectrum efficiency. During the launch on Saturday, telecom majors like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea shared their tentative plans for 5G availability. With the availability, India will have 5G services like a select set of countries, like the US, Korea, UK, Japan, China, and nations across Europe.

The rollout plans

On October 1, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that over 200 cities in India will get access to 5G in the coming six months. During the conference, RIL’s Chairman Mukesh Ambani said that Jio 5G will reach everyone by December 2023.

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On the other hand, Bharti Airtel has already launched its 5G services in 8 cities. And eventually, it will cover the whole country by March 2024.  

Vodafone-Idea, too, has decided to roll out 5G services in the future though the exact date of launch has not been shared yet.

Government-owned BSNL will also plan to offer 5G to 80-90 per cent of Indians in about 2 years. Vaishnaw said that BSNL will provide 5G services next year, starting August 15 2023.

The first phase

As per plans, Reliance Jio will provide 5G services to four major cities, including Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai. Airtel is offering 5G services in 8 cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Bangalore, Gurugram, Chennai, and a few others.

Vodafone Idea and BSNL are yet to share details about the cities they would first provide their network.  

The tech transition

As per operators, a 4G SIM can work in 5G phones. As per news reports, Airtel has said that the existing SIMs will work on 5G phones. Therefore, the transition to the ultra-speed network won’t need any change in SIM card or any hardware input. But the company has said users should have 5G-enabled phones.  

On the hand, Jio has not declared any changes to the SIM card. But plans are afoot to launch its 5G phone soon.

Other operators have not shared their plans yet.

Also read: Have deployed a standalone 5G network to leapfrog ahead: Reliance Jio

The pricing

During the launch of 5G services, the Modi government has said 5G pricing will be in the affordable bracket. Airtel has said 5G services will be available at existing 4G rates for now. Though the pricing will be tweaked after the 5G services are launched in select cities.  

Though Jio has not shared its pricing plan yet, but company officials have said that Jio 5G services will be affordable and available to all.

Also read: Govt plans to set up 100 5G labs in the country, 12 as telecom incubators