Bharti Airtel, one of India’s leading telecommunications service providers, today announced the launch of Airtel Xstream AirFiber, its fixed wireless access (FWA) offering, on 5G for consumers in Delhi and Mumbai.

In the last three to four years, the demand for Wi-Fi at home has increased dramatically. Many customers struggle to get fiber access because only 34 million homes in India have fiber to the home. The first 5G wireless Wi-Fi solution in the nation, Airtel Xstream AirFiber, will provide internet access to customers in fiber-deficient areas.

According to a press release, it will deal with the problem of last-mile connectivity in both rural and urban areas of India where getting access to fiber infrastructure is difficult. The plug-and-play Xstream AirFiber device has built-in Wi-Fi 6 technology and can connect up to 64 devices at once. It will provide extensive indoor coverage.

Commenting on the initiative, Shashwat Sharma, Director, Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel,said, “India has seen the rapid growth of home broadband, but there still remain areas with no access to hi-speed internet at home due to the physical challenges of laying fiber in a country the size of India.

While fiber to the home will always define the best experience of Wi-Fi at home, AirFiber helps bridge the experience gap for everyone else. Today, we are delighted to launch Xstream AirFiber for consumers in Delhi and Mumbai, with a pan-India rollout planned soon.”

Airtel Xstream AirFiber service is available at an affordable 799 plan, which offers up to 100 Mbps speed. The plan can be availed for a duration of six months with a one-time refundable security deposit of Rs. 2500.

Airtel plans to launch the service in multiple cities and scale it up nationally in a phased manner. All Xstream AirFiber devices will be manufactured in India under the “Make in India” program.