Airtel 5G services to roll out in 13 cities in August: CEO Gopal Vittal

Reports on the internet suggest that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch 5G at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) opening on September 29. Telecom carriers like Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vi and Adani Data Network, which were part of the auction, are all working to roll out 5G services soon. The CEO of Bharti Airtel now says that Airtel will launch 5G services in India this month without mentioning the exact date of the launch.

Two major telecom operators, Jio and Airtel, are working hard to roll out 5G services in India as soon as possible. While Jio has not revealed any official details about its 5G services launch, Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal has shared some details. He said that Airtel would launch 5G services starting this month. He also added that Airtel plans to cover all towns and cities, including rural areas, by 2024. However, some reports suggest that Jio will launch its 5G services on August 15.

Keeping in mind Airtel's timeline, it may be the country's first telecom operator to roll out 5G services. Reliance Jio is also not far away. To recall, Jio was the first operator in the 4G race, and the telecom company is also likely to repeat history. Only time will tell who will win the 5G race between Airtel and Jio. CEO Gopal Vittal also highlighted that Airtel intends to start with 5,000 cities as a set-up to support the already established system. The telecom operator is expected to diversify the network and cover all cities and key rural areas by 2024.

Airtel recently announced that it would start rolling out the 5G network in India at the end of August and announced partnerships with tech companies like Samsung, Nokia and Ericsson. In the first phase, 5G services are said to be rolled out in 13 cities, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai and Pune. Other cities will follow.