Bharti Airtel has fulfilled the mandatory rollout requirement of 5G services across 22 telecom circles in India, adhering to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) guidelines. Airtel is deploying 5G on the 3300 MHz (including 2100 MHz) and 26 GHz frequency bands. For other bands, where Airtel holds spectrum rights, the company uses them to provide 2G/4G services.
Also Read: Bharti Airtel Completes Minimum 5G Rollout Obligation in All 22 Indian Telecom Circles
Airtel Xstream AirFiber
Airtel launched India's first Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) offering, Airtel Xstream AirFiber, which is presently available in Delhi and Mumbai, as already reported by TelecomTalk. Expanding its services, Airtel 5G Plus is now available in over 5000 cities and towns. Airtel said it is well poised to cover every town and key rural area with its 5G service by September 2023.
Airtel Unlimited 5G
If you possess a 5G-compatible device, you can enjoy Unlimited 5G benefits. If you are unaware, Airtel provides Unlimited 5G to customers, allowing them to experience 5G on their smartphones without concerns about data usage.
Though users might not notice a significant change in smartphone usage or internet usage experience, the 5G Network enables users with high-speed abilities with low latency. So, if you are yet to hop onto the 5G network and experience it, here are the entry-level plans available from Airtel in both prepaid and postpaid segments, allowing you to enjoy the benefits of Unlimited 5G.
Also Read: Bharti Airtel Entry-Level Prepaid Plan That Offers Postpaid Like Bulk Data
Entry Level Prepaid Plan offering Unlimited 5G Benefit
While the Rs 239 plan serves as the entry-level option with 24 days of validity, offering Unlimited 5G benefits, we will now focus on the plan that provides 28 days of validity.
The Airtel Truly Unlimited 265 Plan provides unlimited Local, STD, and Roaming calls, along with daily 100 SMS and 1GB of daily data. After utilizing the daily quota, customers can enjoy unlimited data at a speed of 64 Kbps, all within a 28-day validity period. Additionally, through Airtel Thanks Rewards, Airtel customers can access Unlimited 5G Data to be used in 5G Network areas, Free Hellotunes for personalized caller tunes and Wynk Music Free.
Entry Level Postpaid Plan offering Unlimited 5G Benefit
Airtel Postpaid Infinity Plan 399 provides users with Unlimited calls, including Local, STD, and Roaming, 40GB of monthly data, which can be rolled over up to 200GB. Beyond the allocated data quota, value-based charging at 2p/MB applies. The plan includes 100 SMS per day for Local, STD, and Roaming use. All Airtel postpaid plans come bundled with Unlimited 5G Data benefit.
As part of Airtel Thanks Rewards, customers enjoy a host of benefits, including Xstream Mobile Pack, Apollo 24|7 Circle Membership, Hello Tunes, and free access to Wynk Music that comes bundled with the postpaid plan. You can read more about the plan in the link below.
Also Read: Airtel Entry Level Postpaid Plan to Enjoy Unlimited 5G Data Offer
On these entry-level plans, Airtel customers can experience ultrafast, reliable and secure 5G Plus services without worrying about data exhaustion in 5G coverage zones. Please note that your device may switch between 4G and 5G based on network strength in your area. If this happens, any data consumed will be deducted from your existing 4G data balance and will not count towards your Unlimited 5G data quota.
Also Read: Breaking: Airtel Launches Rs 99 Unlimited Data Pack
Airtel Network Rollout and Expansion
During the Earnings Conference Call for the First Quarter ending June 30, 2023, Gopal Vittal, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bharti Airtel, offered insights into the network rollout strategy. He highlighted two key areas of focus: operational efficiency and prudent capital expenditure. Vittal highlighted the success of the network takeout initiative, which resulted in a 7 percent reduction in Operational Expenditure (Opex) per site within recent months.
According to the company, New site and 5G rollouts are executed based on granular data science analysis, ensuring efficient resource allocation. As 5G-compatible devices gain traction, approximately 30 percent of data traffic is being offloaded from 4G networks to 5G networks in locations where both technologies coexist.
The aim is to significantly increase this offload in the near future. However, it is important to note that these are still early days for 5G networks, and the numbers may change.
Also Read: Airtel CEO Highlights Key Levers to Drive Growth and Revenue
Airtel 5G Investments
Airtel has announced that it has stopped investing in 4G capacity and is now focusing on prioritizing 5G. However, the company is still investing in rural site rollouts to improve network coverage and service availability.
During the earnings call, Vittal expressed Airtel's commitment to providing a seamless experience for its customers, regardless of the technology used. They aim to provide excellent data and voice services throughout the city while also investing in upgrading their 4G capacity to 5G.
