heyn October 1, at the India Mobile Congress 2022 in Delhi, India entered the 5G era. Airtel and Reliance Jio were reluctant to announce that their 5G services were active in a handful of metros. However, most consumers with 5G devices are not able to experience the new network that promises the data speeds competitive broadband offers.
are most notable iphone users, The iPhone 12 was Apple’s first 5G-capable smartphone, and since then all models have supported the technology, including the 5G bands used in India. But despite support from Apple, as well as Airtel and Jio, iPhone users are still stuck on 4G.
But they are not alone. That’s what most Samsung customers would say. A major chunk of the South Korean giant’s products support 5G networks in India. On Airtel’s support page for 5G-enabled phones, models from Chinese smartphone makers such as Xiaomi, Vivo, iQOO, Oppo, OnePlus, Realme and Samsung are available for some new models.
But many customers of these gadgets cannot connect to the next-generation 5G network, which has now been activated by Airtel and Jio through an invite-only welcome offer.
Lack of ‘India focus’?
Apple and Samsung are global brands and India is not their biggest market. For Apple, by far, the US and China are the two most important markets. Similarly, for Samsung, it is the US and South Korea.
Google avoided India for four years for its flagships and focused on more affordable offerings. In 2019, its Pixel 4 used the Soli radar, which was a . used to work on 60 GHz mm wave frequency Used by the Indian Armed Forces to unlock the phone. What engineers didn’t realize was that this technology might not be allowed in many markets. India and Japan, Apple’s latest emergency SOS feature on the iPhone 14 is also US and Canada-focused, and may not arrive in India anytime soon. Samsung smartwatches still do not support ECG in India.
In 2020, Google could launch the Pixel 4a or Pixel 5 in India, both of which are 5G models. But it deliberately decided to launch a 4G model, which tells us about its 5G readiness in the country. Meanwhile, Xiaomi has been selling affordable 5G phones since 2019.
with Pixel 7 launched in IndiaGoogle said it is working with carrier partners to enable 5G services. But queries on its support chat service revealed that they would only be enabled through a planned “Feature Drop” In December.
Apple and Samsung have been equally berserk and say they are currently testing networks in India with carrier partners. really, Apple executives meeting Airtel for 5G launch Google plans to launch a software update this week and reportedly, in December. Narendra Modi government also held a meeting Motivating smartphone makers to accelerate 5G compatibility software updates.
For Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, Realme and iQOO – India is ‘mission critical’ outside China. For Xiaomi and BBK Electronics (parent of OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, iQOO), India is the most important overseas market in terms of customer size, profitability and on-ground investments.
A major part of the research and development for these brands is conducted in India. Their products are specifically designed for the Indian market, while Apple and Samsung – especially their higher-end models – are designed to work worldwide with a leaning towards the US. Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can also deliver such updates faster because their products are not globally ubiquitous.
Apple and Google’s global product teams are mostly based in California. Additionally, all these Chinese brands are doing leg work as their teams are also sitting in India. Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi have been working with Indian carriers for months to get their devices ready for 5G. That’s not to say that Apple and Samsung didn’t, but the over-localization of Chinese OEMs is just a fundamental advantage.
Apple and Samsung also have strict quality control requirements. Because of their global footprint, they cannot just drop software updates for one market. Each update will undergo various quality control checks that need to be validated not only for India but for all markets. Samsung has updates too Tied to his Knox security suitWhich further adds to the lag in updates for good reason.
Apple is already facing criticism for the battery life in the iPhone 14 models. iOS 16 is also in the update made it worse, Will be the biggest in 5G network Impact on iPhone Battery Life, In fact, the iPhone mini model and the latest SE 3 have smaller batteries, and a poorly calibrated 5G update can be disastrous for those phones. Samsung is also in a similar boat as many phones are plagued by battery life issues.
After all these tests, Apple, Google and Samsung will release a software update for 5G. It may take at least one and a half months. This is what the Pixel and iPhone December software update timelines reveal. Apple has also officially announced that it is working with carrier partners in India, and will release a software update in December that will enable 5G services as soon as network verification and testing is completed. Samsung has also come out and said that the over-the-air (OTA) update for 5G will be rolled out to all eligible devices by mid-November.
A Samsung India spokesperson says that they are working closely with operator partners and are committed to rolling out OTA updates to all our 5G devices by the end of November 2022. #5G
— danish (@danishKh4n) 12 October 2022
Read also: Modi government will push Apple, Samsung for faster 5G software upgrade in phones
What Airtel, Reliance Jio are not telling customers
Network operators may also be at fault. 5G connectivity is dependent on a combination of network density and the number of users the carrier wants to onboard at once. The idea is to ensure that the network is not overly congested at launch. For example, Airtel has said that it will roll out 5G at no extra cost in eight cities, at least for the time being. It wants to ensure that there is no congestion before monetizing the network so that people can experience the service. It also wants to test network stability during the extension period.
Even though Airtel claims that it has launched 5G in New Delhi, the coverage is not uniform. You can use the OpenSignal app to check if there is coverage in your area. In Jio’s case, it’s an “invite only” welcome plan, but receiving invites isn’t easy.
“Some gatekeeper is definitely happening,” tekark Founder and Senior Technology Advisor Faisal Kawoosa said.
On Android phones, you may need to go into network settings and enable 5G manually. Users can select the preferred network type and choose between 5G, 4G LTE or 3G network by going to SIM card settings, but you still can’t get 5G.
Read also: 5G launch, festive sales lucrative but buying a smartphone in 2022 is a bad idea
Chinese manufacturers have jumped the gun
I tested the new OnePlus 10T, OnePlus Nord, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, Vivo X70 Pro, Vivo X80 Pro, iQOO 9T, and Xiaomi 12 Pro. I could not connect to Airtel’s 5G network on any of these devices.
While Apple and Samsung acknowledged that 5G activation requires a software update, Chinese smartphone makers have jumped the gun and claimed ubiquitous 5G support in their portfolios. However, their equipment may also require additional testing.
In fact, Kawusa is almost certain that these Chinese OEMs will also release another software update that will enable true 5G support. Chinese OEMs may have exaggerated their claims of providing 5G services. They are taking advantage of the silence of Apple and Samsung.
True 5G rollout will happen only in December for Jio And march for airtel, So far, what we have seen is tokenism from carriers. Vodafone is not in the game yet.
It is a case of Chinese OEMs preparing for 5G in India as much as Apple and Samsung are slaves to their global standards.
Sahil Mohan Gupta is a technology journalist based in New Delhi. He @DigitallyBones . tweeted on
(Edited by Likes)