Apple to enable 5G on supported iPhones in India via OTA update by December

Apple is working with carrier partners in India to enable 5G connectivity on supported iPhones via the OTA software update by December 2022. Apple iPhone 12 series, iPhone 13 series, iPhone 14 series, and iPhone SE 3rd generation supports 5G technology. Currently, only Jio and Airtel provide 5G networks in select cities in India.

Apple is testing the 5G services on the Airtel 5G NSA (non-standalone) and Reliance Jio 5G SA (standalone) networks. The company needs to complete network validation and testing before rolling out the update to ensure quality and deliver improved performance to its iPhone users.

“We are working with our carrier partners in India to bring the best 5G experience to iPhone users as soon as network validation and testing for quality and performance are completed. 5G will be enabled via a software update and will start rolling out to iPhone users in December,” the company said in a statement to ET.

For the unaware, recently, Airtel launched its 5G services in eight cities in India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Nagpur, and Varanasi. The telco plans to roll out 5G services in the key metro cities by the end of December 2022 and cover urban India by the end of 2023.

On the other hand, Jio launched 5G beta services in four cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Varanasi. The company also plans to roll out 5G networks across India by the end of 2023. Airtel 5G and Jio 5G users are not required to replace their existing SIM card to avail the 5G services.