Airtel 5G: A Look at the Aggressive 5G Rollout Timeline

Bharti Airtel launched its 5G services during IMC 2022 on October 1, 2022. The initial announcement happened with the launch of Airtel 5G Plus services in eight cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Nagpur and Varanasi and within less than 30 days of launch, the company announced that it surpassed 1 million unique customers on its 5G network. In this Analysis, let’s look at the timeline, showing the aggressive nature of Rollouts while also focusing on the announcements made by the telco.

4 Key Points to Focus

If we carefully observe the announcements, there are details to note.

1. Open and Commercial announcements – where anyone with a compatible handset can use 5G on existing 4G plans.
2. Timely Execution – A case in which the telco is aware of the technology and device ecosystem, that it has projected as a reason for advantage.
3. 5G Rollout Areas – 5G announcements focused on Airports, Key Cities and places, including NorthEast corners of India.
4. Details and Precision in Announcements – Unlike other announcements where we get to hear every real-estate term (Residential areas, schools, hospitals and high footfall areas etc.) except the place of availability itself, Airtel’s 5G announcements are clear and crisp on where exactly 5G is available in the city with the places included.

Timeline of Airtel 5G Announcements with Details Involved

A close look at the timeline shows us that October was a cold month, and it all started in November. The announcements are happening with Airports and Cities as the focus. So far, we have 3 Airports – Bengaluru, Pune and Varanasi – that are 5G enabled and 11 Cities with specific details where exactly 5G is available. We know the excitement carried by users to experience the latest technology, and these places of availability will help customers experience the tech than being clueless about where exactly in the city. Of course, we believe 5G is not a kind of tech that will be made available everywhere and anywhere, at least in the initial phases.

Airtel 5G Cities Mapped:

Global 5G Rollouts

If we look at the 5G availability maps globally, with the pace at which things are happening in India, we can understand that we are not so far from being benchmarked against the fastest 5G rollouts.

Also Read: Airtel Touched Highest Download Speeds in 14 Circles as per TRAI MySpeed Oct Data

5G Announcements from Reliance Jio

On the other hand, Reliance Jio, which is already 5G ready, has no announcements and depth in the details of 5G availability. Who knows what surprises the telco has packed in for us? Let’s wait and watch. Below is the announcement timeline of Jio.

5G Deployments and Tariff Correction

While the 5G rollouts are progressively happening, it’s worth noting that 5G is a technology with an improved focus on connectivity and the entire ecosystem. With every 3gpp release of 5G, we get to see even minute aspects like Device battery optimisation, Messaging, Acknowledgement times etc., are even considered to offer a great network experience. We are equally excited about the rollouts to progress further and reach a wider audience and what big thing consumers will use the tech for with evolving use cases every day. Also, with the significant CAPEX involved in 5G deployments, we believe there is a need for tariff correction for better positioning of 5G services and digital infrastructure in the country.

Also Read: Airtel Tariff Hike in Haryana and Odisha a Positive Move: ICICI Securities

Conclusion:

With the pace at which Bharti Airtel is aggressively rolling out 5G to reach a wider audience, the 5G availability Map of India will be on par with Global peers in the coming days. Also, the recent revision of the Tariff (entry-level recharge plan) in Haryana and Odisha circles gives us a cue about Airtel’s financial preparedness concerned with 5G deployments and that a hike is much required for the sustainability of the Industry.