Gopal Vittal, CEO of Bharti Airtel, wrote to the customers addressing the concerns around 5G. The spectrum auction is over, and the telcos have the required 5G spectrum. There are many consumers who are confused about how they will receive 5G services, whether they will have to switch to new SIM cards or new smartphones, and more. Airtel's CEO has clarified some of these aspects that every consumer should know. Let's take a look at everything that Vittal shared with the customers.
Q1. What will Airtel 5G do for You?
Vittal said that 5G would be anywhere 20 to 30 times faster than the internet speed you get with 4G today. Airtel would also leverage network slicing to offer enhanced 5G services to gamers for a flawless experience. Even people working from their homes can take advantage of Airtel's network slicing capabilities and get better-optimised networks for better performance.
Q2. Why Airtel's 5G is Best for You?
Vittal talked about why Airtel's 5G network services would be the best for consumers. He said that Airtel's 5G network is built keeping in mind the smartphones that consumers already own today. For the unaware, Airtel has chosen to go ahead with 5G NSA (Non-Standalone). If you want to know why 5G NSA was the better choice for Airtel, click here.
As per Vittal, Airtel's 5G technology has the widest ecosystem in the world. All the current 5G smartphones would already work on its 5G networks. Even when customers are travelling abroad, they will be able to use their smartphones to connect with the 5G networks without any issues. But with other technology (obviously hinting at 5G SA), Vittal said that as many as four out of ten 5G phones might not support 5G.
Then, Vittal said that Airtel has used the expertise of its best engineers and developed several use cases to ensure that the 5G experience that Airtel customers get is incomparable. Further, Airtel wants to look after the environment with 5G. The 5G solution that Airtel has chosen is the most energy and carbon efficient in India. The telco is trying to reduce its carbon footprint.
Q3. When Can You Start Experiencing 5G?
Gopal Vittal said that Airtel would launch its 5G services within a month. By December, the telco would reach key metro cities with its 5G networks, and by the end of 2023, Airtel expects to cover all of urban India with 5G. Customers can check for 5G availability in their town through the Airtel Thanks application. The app would tell the customer both whether his/her smartphone is 5G enabled and whether their city has 5G or not. Once 5G is launched, this feature would be added to the Airtel Thanks app.
Q4. What are the Three Easy Steps Customers Can follow for Accessing Airtel 5G?
To access Airtel's 5G, customers will have to first own a 5G smartphone. Vittal's advice for the customers is to check whether they own a 5G device or not, and if they are buying a new smartphone, then ensure that the one they are going for is 5G enabled. Once you know that you have a 5G device, then enable the 5G settings if not already set that way. You can do so by going to the settings tab followed by connections or mobile network. Then select the option which also includes 5G in addition to 4G or LTE.
You won't need a separate SIM for Airtel's 5G. Your SIM is already 5G enabled, and it would work seamlessly on your 5G smartphone.
