Airtel 5G now available in 3,000 cities: Check coverage

Bharti Airtel has announced that it has rolled out its 5G services in as many as 3,000 cities across India. Eligible Airtel customers can enjoy up to 20-30 times faster speed with Airtel 5G Plus than the current 4G network. Users can access unlimited 5G internet using their current data plans and do not require a new plan as of now.

All major rural and urban cities in the country have access to Airtel's 5G service—from Katra in Jammu and Kashmir to Kannur in Kerala, Patna in Bihar to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh to the union territory of Daman and Diu. The company said it will continue to cover 30 to 40 cities/towns across the country every day.

Airtel 5G Plus is available in a number of states in the country. The list includes Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Punjab, Karnataka, Odisha, Chattisgarh, Nagaland, and Jammu and Kashmir. You can check the complete list of states that have 5G access at https://www.airtel.in/airtel-5g-cities.

You do not have to buy a new SIM since the existing 4G SIM is 5G-enabled. You can check if 5G service is live in your area by visiting the Airtel Thanks app. Here's what you have to do to configure your mobile network to 5G. Go to Settings > Mobile Network > Prefered Network Type. Now, select 5G. You're all set now.

Airtel hopes to cover every town and key rural area in the country by September 2023 and aims to cover the whole nation by March 2024. The telco has already reached the 10 million subscriber mark for its 5G network. The company employs non-standalone 5G technology, which utilizes 4G network components. Airtel started the rollout of its fifth-generation service in October 2022.

Reliance Jio is also steadily expanding its 5G network across the country. The telco recently rolled out its 5G services in Char Dham temples in Uttarakhand, covering Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, and Gangotri. The company intends to complete its 5G rollout by December 2023.