INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
week, both on standalone (Reliance Jio) and non-standalone networks (Bharti Airtel).
Airtel and Jio customers who download the iOS 16 Beta
and experience the latest features before a software is made publicly available
Users can also provide feedback to Apple on quality and usability to help Apple identify problems, address them, and make the software
better.
Apple Inc committed to opening the beta programme at a meeting of key mobile device makers called on Wednesday by the department
of telecommunications (DoT) to discuss the progress of the 5G rollout in the country.
All the other mobile device makers also committed
that their respective 5G phones would be enabled to receive 5G by the middle of November (including some with beta software) both on
standalone and non-standalone networks
earlier plan of enabling all phones by December
Over 160 models of 5G handsets are available in the country, and there are more than 70-80 million 5G handset users
Nearly 125 models have already been activated.
At the meeting, the device makers also raised the concern that the slow pace of 5G network
rollout by telecom service providers could lead to numerous complaints from customers using these services.
Sharing details of its beta
programme, Apple said users with 5G-enabled iPhones could join by enrolling their devices on the Apple website and accessing the latest beta
release and subsequent updates, including the software updates which will be available to Airtel and Jio customers from next week.
In an
official statement in October, Apple had shared a timeline, and said: "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
Communications and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had recently urged telcos to increase the pace of their 5G network rollout in the country
He had said telcos needed to raise the number of 5G towers installed weekly to at least 10,000, up from the current 2,500
A senior DoT official said: "We have been pushing them to install more 5G towers
We expect that we will have a 5G network with substantial coverage across the country by October next year."
Operators and vendors,
meanwhile, have said the movement has been slow because of stiff safety measures and a lot of specialised manpower heading home during the
Also, it might take some time to import 5G radios, for which orders were placed recently
it was unfair to push them to meet a number, as they would roll out according to their plan, and that they had agreed to their rollout
commitments for 5G in any case
"There will be a push from January, and the rollout will be even faster by June-July
By October, one can see substantial 5G coverage in the country," said a senior executive at a telecom service provider.
