Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics are among companies who will upgrade software for their 5G-enabled phones in India by December as authorities press mobile phone manufacturers to adopt the high-speed network.
Apple said it would push software upgrades to recent models, including the iPhone 14, 13, 12 and iPhone SE, which, industry sources say, do not yet support the network.
“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 is completed,” Apple said in a statement on Wednesday, according to a Reuters report filed from New Delhi.
“5G will be enabled via a software update and will start rolling out to iPhone users in December,” it added.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G services on October 1 amid much fanfare, with leading telecom operator Reliance Jio saying it would make the service available in four cities, while rival Bharti Airtel targeted eight cities.
A Samsung India spokesperson said the company would roll out updates across all its 5G devices by mid-November.
Xiaomi India President Muralikrishnan B said their smartphones support Airtel 5G at present and by the end of this month most devices will start receiving updates for Jio 5G network support.
Meanwhile, Oppo India Vice President Tasleem Arif said the company will roll out a 5G software upgrade on all compatible devices, which already support Airtel 5G, at the earliest.
The statements came after the Ministry of Communications and Ministry of Electronics and IT officials held a meeting on Wednesday dedicated to 5G adoption, attended by executives from Apple, Samsung, Vivo and Xiaomi Corp, and telecom operators Reliance, Airtel and Vodafone Idea.
While telecom players and smartphone makers have been holding discussions with each other, ironing out compatibility issues between the specific 5G technology of telecom companies in India and phone software is taking time, one of the industry sources said.
A Google spokesperson said on Wednesday: “Pixel 7, 7 Pro and Pixel 6a are 5G capable devices. We are actively working with the Indian carriers to enable functionality at the earliest.”
Prasoon Joshi to head panel on measures to strengthen film sector
Dhurandhar2′, ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ among 2026 H1 BO success
Modi top influencer; cricket team leads brands’ rankings: Comscore
Paramount offers film JV sale to ease Warner deal approval in EU
Shashi Shekhar Vempati gets Padma Shri honour
‘The Angry Birds Movie 3’ trailer introduces a new side of Red
Veena Nagda revisits mehendi journey, shares Kokilaben’s advice on ‘Tum Ho Naa’
ZEE5 hosts football carnival in Kolkata ahead of FIFA WC 2026
‘Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi Repeat’ locks Nov19 release date
Afzal Khan moves on after driving digital growth at Times Network 

