The 5G spectrum auction in India was concluded on August 1 2022. The auction sold a record of ₹1.5 lakh crores worth of spectrum. Jio stood top with around ₹88,000 crores, followed by Airtel with approximately ₹43,000 crores. Vi (Vodafone-Idea) and Adani Data Network bought the rest. Now that the auction has been concluded, Indian telecom giants are planning to launch 5G very soon. This post will talk about Airtel 5G and everything we have known.
Airtel 5G Latest News
November 12: Airtel 5G support is now available on Motorola Edge 30, Edge 30 Pro, Edge 30 Ultra, Edge 30 Fusion, Moto G82, and Moto G62.
November 11: Airtel is rolling out 5G support in Panipat. Now Airtel users in Panipat can enjoy 5G service on their handset.
November 10: iPhone users in India can now experience Airtel 5G Plus by installing iOS 16.2 beta build.
November 3: Bharti Airtel has announced its 5G network at Terminal 2 of Bengaluru Kempegowda International airport.
When will Airtel Launch 5G in India?
- Airtel launched its 5G services called Airtel 5G Plus on October 6, 2022. Airtel 5G rollout starts in 8 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Varanasi.
PM Modi launched 5G services in India on October 1 at the India Mobile Congress 2022. Bharti Airtel’s chairman Sunil Mittal was also present at the event. Speaking at the India Mobile Congress 2022, Mittal said Airtel will launch 5G services in eight major cities from October 2022 and will cover most cities and towns by March 2023 and the entire country by March 2024.
Currently, the 5G rollout is limited to only the metro cities of India, where pilot testing of 5G will be done. We can expect Airtel 5G to arrive in India’s tier-2 and tier-3 cities by the end of this year. Furthermore, Airtel plans to bring 5G pan-India by March 2024.
- Read: 5G Launch Date in India
Airtel 5G Bands in India:
Airtel bought these bands for its 5G spectrum: 900 MHz (n8), 1800 MHz (n3), 2100MHz (n1), 3300 MHz (n78), and 26 GHz (n258 mmWave).
Airtel spent nearly Rs. 43,038 crores on buying a 19,800 MHz spectrum during the latest 5G auction held in India. Airtel bought 5G bands with all kinds of frequencies. This includes low-band frequencies, mid-band frequencies, as well as high-band mmWave frequencies.
As it is apparent, Airtel did not go for the 700 MHz frequency band, unlike Jio. Instead, Airtel went for the 900 MHz frequency band, available in a few circles only. The only two frequency bands available for all circles are the 3300 MHz (n78) mid-band and the 26 GHz high-band (n258 mmWave).
Airtel 5G in India: Supported Circles and Cities:
Airtel 5G Plus is currently rolling out in 8 cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Siliguri, Nagpur, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Varanasi. The launch will be limited to only eight cities initially. However, 5G services will soon be expanded to tier-2 and tier-3 cities and towns.
Other circles, namely, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Mumbai, North East, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar, Pradesh (East), Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh (West), West Bengal are expected to get Airtel 5G Plus services by March 2024.
To check 5G availability, you can open the Airtel Thanks App and check whether your handset is 5G enabled and if your city is 5G ready.
What Download/Upload Speeds will we get with Airtel 5G?
Talking about the Airtel 5G speed tests, During a test at IMC) in 2022, Airtel reached a download speed of 1.1 Gbps. Airtel users have also shared their speed test results on Twitter. In Gurgaon, Airtel 5G Plus download speed reached 837 Mbps while the upload speed shows 119 Mbps.
| Network | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
| Airtel 5G Plus | 837 Mbps | 119 Mbps |
Airtel claims Airtel 5G Plus will deliver blazing speeds for users on its 5G network. Users will be able to experience up to 30X faster speeds than Airtel 4G.
Old Speed Test (During 5G Trial):
Airtel recorded around 310Mbps download speed and 65Mbps upload speed on the 1800 MHz frequency mid-band on NSA (Non-standalone) architecture. Allegedly, with a higher frequency band, Airtel 5G can offer up to 1Gbps of download speed with a latency of around 20ms indoors. In a trial in Hyderabad (2021), Airtel recorded a whopping 3 Gbps speed. However, trials are generally higher in speed. Once rolled out publicly, the speeds will go down drastically. Only time will tell what speeds we will get with Airtel 5G in India.
Do you need a new SIM card to use Airtel 5G?
You do not need an Airtel 5G SIM. Airtel 5G service will work on the existing 4G SIM card. The telecom operator Airtel will use the existing 4G infrastructure to adopt 5G, so you will not require a 5G SIM (which means you don’t have to upgrade to a new 5G-enabled SIM).
5G NSA is easy, convenient, fast, and cost-effective for all telecom operators. In contrast, if Indian telecom giants plan on bringing SA or standalone 5G, that is, a whole new infrastructure for 5G, you will need a 5G SIM to enjoy 5G services.
When it comes to Airtel, they have repeatedly been building 5G services on the existing 4G infrastructure. This means that you should be able to continue with your 4G SIM card and still enjoy 5G services on your Airtel SIM card.
What will be the Price of Airtel 5G Plans?
| Airtel 5G Plans | Price in India |
| Starting Plan | Rs 500 (Expected) |
We do not have official information regarding the price of Airtel 5G plans in India. The pricing will undoubtedly be on the higher side. However, we can expect the 5G plans to start from around Rs. 500. For instance, Airtel 4G plans start at around Rs. 300. We can expect the pricing to be on par with Jio’s 5G plans.
Conclusion:
Airtel 5G rollout is almost around the corner. Airtel will launch 5G nationwide “soon.” This blog has shared information about Airtel 5G plans, Airtel 5G SIM, and Airtel 5G cities list. Get ready for an all-new and better experience that Airtel is bringing you on its 5G Plus network. India is all set to get 5G from October 2022. Though it is but a select few who will be able to enjoy the speedy network (for now) right away, the day is not far when you will be enjoying almost wireless broadband-like internet.
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