Handset makers and telcos meet Secretary, MeitY

The govt had called for a meeting with smartphone makers and telcos on Wednesday, Oct 12. Handset manufacturers had been asked to push updates, enabling the 5G services on devices that can work on standalone (SA) 5G networks.

The meeting was chaired by chaired by Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Secretary, MeitY. K Rajaraman, Secretary Telecom could not attend the meeting as he had reported sick.

Handset manufacturers were represented by Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, HMD Global, Transsion, Lava, Karbonn, Realme, Micromax, Motorola, Oppo, OnePlus and Vivo. Senior officials from all 3 telcos, Airtel, Jio and Vi were present. Reps from India Cellular and Electronics Association, Qualcomm, and UTL Neolync were also present.

The government has asked mobile handset manufacturers to quickly roll out FOTA updates for 5G services. This upgrade is essential so that phones can be powered by standalone networks. Handset manufacturers have said they are working with telcos to streamline a plan. Prioritisation of software upgradation for an early adoption of 5G in the country was also discussed in the meeting.

This comes after operators like Airtel said that there is no requirement to change the existing SIM. As per Airtel the 4G SIM will work in 5G phones. There will be no requirement to change one’s SIM but the phone must be 5G-enabled. Jio, has also not declared any changes in the SIM card, but it is also working on the launch of its 5G phone soon.

Apple said in a statement on Wednesday that it will roll out 5G updates in December. “5G will be enabled via a software update and will start rolling out to iPhone users in December,” it stated. All iPhone models since 2020 are 5G-enabled.

Same is the case with Samsung. Its A53, A33, Galaxy S21 FE, Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy M33, Flip4, Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Fold4 can work on the 5G network but there are also a host of Samsung phones that are not equipped for 5G. The company said in a statement that they have the widest portfolio of 5G devices. “We are working closely with our operator partners and are committed to rolling out OTA updates across all our 5G devices by mid-November 2022, enabling Indian consumers to experience 5G seamlessly,” said a company spokesperson.

For Realme, 85 per cent of its models already support SA. OnePlus’ latest launches are 5G-ready but OnePlus 8, 8T, 8Pro, Nord 2 and 9R still need to be updated.

Meanwhile, Airtel users can check the company dedicated web page to see if your smartphone is Airtel 5G Plus compatible. This web page has a list of all 5G handset models from Realme, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, iQOO, Apple, OnePlus, and Samsung that are Airtel 5G Plus ready.

Jio also has said that most of its 5G devices will be compatible with the Jio 5G network. Some devices might need upgradation but that will be pushed from the device brands.

Airtel 5G Plus is currently running in eight Indian cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Nagpur and Varanasi.

Reliance Jio is in a beta trial stage in four cities, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Varanasi and its True 5G services will be available in these metro areas first.

The telcos and handset manufacturers left with the understanding that they will keep the department updated on a weekly basis on their respective 5G network rollouts and how many devices have onboarded the network.

CT Bureau