Consumers may pay the same for Airtel's 5G services as for 4G

Users of Bharti Airtel's recently launched 5G services would likely pay the same price as for services on the 4G network.

"Only 8–9% of smartphones are 5G capable as of right now. Therefore, the pricing you choose for 5G won't affect how the market develops as a whole. If the number of devices remains low, the increasing tariffs will not be profitable "An organisation official told The Economic Times.

By March 2024, as device manufacturers release handsets priced under Rs 12,000, the percentage of 5G devices would rise to 18–20 percent, he noted.

Within one month, all Samsung and Xiaomi devices that are 5G ready will be able to connect to Airtel's 5G network.

According to the company, "Whatever pricing we do for 5G now will not affect total average revenue per user (ARPU)," the carrier will decide tariffs in the coming days.

On October 1, the business began offering 5G services in eight cities, including Delhi and Mumbai. It intends to cover all major cities by December.

Reliance Jio has also stated that it will provide 5G services at reasonable prices to boost adoption across the nation.

At the India Mobile Congress' opening session on October 1, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani declared, "By December 2023, we would provide Jio 5G to every town, every taluka, and every tehsil of our country."

He added, "As an industry, we will also guarantee the greatest quality and most competitive prices everywhere in the globe.