Airtel 5G Availability: Recharge Plans, Supported Mobiles, And All You Should Know!

While 5G is already available in major countries, India isn’t one to lag behind. Major Indian telecom operator Airtel has finally started to roll out 5G network in select cities. With Airtel 5G availability present in eight different Indian cities, the rest of the country is bound to follow. The company has already promised at India Mobile Congress 2022 that 5G coverage will be present throughout the country by 2023. Bearing this in mind, this post will look at everything you need to know about the Airtel 5G rollout, including the different cities it’s available in and the handsets compatible with the 5G network. So, without further ado, let’s get started!

What is Airtel 5G Plus?

Airtel’s 5G rollout is based on non-standalone deployment. This means that this 5G infrastructure cannot stand on its own, and will piggyback on already existing 4G infrastructure. This 5G network will be available on all compatible smartphones. However, some smartphones might require an additional update to unlock 5G utilisation. Moreover, you can get ready for some insane speeds through Airtel 5G. The company has stated that 5G speeds can be 20 to 30 times faster than the speed we experience on Airtel 4G. Calling experiences will also see a significant enhancement thanks to the 5G network.

Also read: 5 Best 5G Mobile Phones In India

What do you need for Airtel 5G Plus?

There are a few things that you need to experience Airtel 5G availability. Let’s check them out below:

• 5G ready SIM: Airtel has automatically ensured that all Airtel 4G sims are now 5G compatible.
• 5G compatible smartphone: Make sure that your smartphone supports 5G. Most phones in every major budget segment support 5G today. You may need to update your smartphone’s software to enable 5G.

Checking Airtel 5G availability

Here’s how you check if your smartphone can support Airtel 5G.

• Download the “Airtel Thanks App” from Google Play Store or the App Store.
• Open and register with the app, if you haven’t already.
• Tap on the Airtel 5G Plus banner on the app.
• The app will then check if your device is compatible with Airtel 5G Plus and if 5G is available in your city.
• If your smartphone and city are compatible with Airtel 5G Plus, the app will prompt you to change the device’s preferred connection to Airtel 5G Plus.

How to activate Airtel 5G on Android?

Check out the steps below to activate Airtel 5G on your Android smartphone.

• Open your smartphone’s Settings.
• Navigate to the Connections or Mobile Network tab.
• Tap on the Airtel sim option.
• You should see a “Preferred Network” section after this.
• At the “Preferred Network” option, select 5G.

If the steps have been followed correctly, the 5G symbol should appear on your phone’s status bar.

How to activate Airtel 5G on iPhone?

Activating Airtel 5G on iPhones is quite similar to the Android method. Here’s what you need to do:

• Go to your iPhone’s Settings app.
• Navigate to the Cellular tab.
• You’ll find the Cellular Data section. Select it.
• Find the Voice and Data option, and under it, you can select either 5G Auto or 5G On options.

If 5G is available in your city, you should soon see a 5G symbol on your iPhone’s status bar.

Also read: 5 Best 5G Mobile Phones Under 15000 In India

Which handsets are Airtel 5G ready?

There are quite a few smartphones which can utilise the new Airtel 5G availability. Let’s check them out below:

Airtel 5G Cities

Airtel 5G Plus will release in a few cities at the beginning. The rollout will happen in a phased manner. At the moment, Airtel 5G plus is available in Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Nagpur, Panipat, Varanasi, Shimla, Imphal, Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vizag, Pune, Jammu, and Srinagar.  Lastly, in January 2023, Airtel 5G Plus network was made available in Haryana, and Indore. By the end of 2023, Airtel has promised that other major cities will also have 5G connectivity.

Also read: 5 Best Realme 5G Mobile Phones In India

Airtel 5G Recharge Plans

Since Airtel is piggybacking on its existing 4G infrastructure, the telecom company has also ensured that 5G can be activated on all existing 4G plans. Therefore, if you’re already using a 4G plan, you can activate 5G connectivity through your smartphone’s settings.

At the moment, Airtel has not released any separate plan purely for the 5G network. It seems like consumers will have to wait for Airtel to cover other major Indian cities before it releases a 5G-dedicated plan. So, all current Airtel 5G recharge plans are basically the same 4G-dedicated plans that are available to you right now!

Also Read: 5 Best 5G Mobile Phones Under 15000 In India

Frequently Asked Questions

Below, we’ll take a look at some of the most common questions concerning Airtel 5G availability.

What is the speed of the Airtel 5G network?

Airtel has promised that its 5G network will be 20 to 30 times faster than the 4G connectivity. In Varanasi, Airtel 5G has shown a median speed of 516.57 Mbps. You can expect the speeds in other cities to be around this figure.

What is the price of an Airtel 5G SIM?

You don’t need a new SIM for Airtel 5G availability. Airtel 5G Plus will be enabled on currently active Airtel 4G SIMs. You will also be able to access 5G connectivity on your current data plan.

How to upgrade my Airtel SIM to 5G?

All currently active Airtel 4G SIMs will be automatically upgraded to Airtel 5G Plus. You don’t need to upgrade to 5G by yourself. However, we have mentioned the steps above to enable 5G on your current Airtel 4G SIM.

How to activate Airtel 5G SIM?

The steps for activating 5G on your Airtel SIM have been mentioned above for both Android and iOS smartphones.

Can I use Airtel 5G SIM in a 4G phone?

While you can use a 5G-enabled Airtel SIM in a 4G-enabled smartphone, you will not be able to enjoy 5G services. Your phone will only allow 4G connectivity, especially if it isn’t enabled to work on 5G. Some 5G-enabled phones will also have to download an extra software update from the manufacturer to enable 5G connectivity.

What are the Airtel 5G recharge plan prices?

Airtel is using its existing 4G infrastructure to provide 5G network connectivity in the mid-band spectrum. So, the Airtel 5G recharge plans are the same as that of your Airtel 4G recharge plans. All you need to do is recharge your SIM card with any Airtel plan that provides 4G connectivity. If your smartphone and SIM card support 5G, you’ll be able to use 5G after the settings have been changed on your phone and the recharge plan is activated.

Airtel 5G Availability – Final Thoughts

So, now that the 5G rollout has officially started in India, there’s plenty to look forward to. We’ll be able to stream movies at higher resolutions with immaculate ease and have a better calling experience as well. In terms of Airtel 5G availability, Airtel has already enabled 5G services in eight cities in the country. The rest of the major cities will also be 5G-enabled by the end of 2023. Moreover, we’ve also answered all the important and common questions regarding Airtel 5G Plus. What do you think about this progress? Are you excited about shifting to 5G connectivity? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.

Also Read: 5 Cheapest 5G Mobile Phones In India

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