India To Urge Apple, Samsung For Faster 5G Upgrades

India's government will push Apple Inc AAPL, Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd SSNLF, and other mobile phone manufacturers to prioritize rolling out software upgrades to support 5G in the country.
Apple's iPhone models, including the latest iPhone 14, and many of Samsung's premier phones do not have software compatible with supporting 5G in India, Reuters reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G services on October 1, with leading telecom operator Reliance Jio saying it would make the service available in four cities and rival Bharti Airtel in eight. Both companies shared plans to expand service next year.
Top bureaucrats from India's telecoms and IT departments will chair a meeting on Wednesday for early 5G adoption, involving smartphone executives from foreign companies Apple, Samsung, Vivo, and Xiaomi Corp XIACF, and domestic telecom operators Reliance, Airtel, and Vodafone Group Plc VOD.
India has said that launching 5G in the world's biggest mobile market after China will bring high-speed internet to consumers, with simultaneous socio-economic benefits in sectors like agriculture and health.
In August, Jio, India's biggest mobile carrier with more than 420 million customers, snapped up airwaves worth $11 billion in a $19 billion 5G spectrum auction. Airtel spent more than $5 billion, while Vodafone doled above $2 billion.
China and the United States are considerably ahead of other countries regarding 5G adoption.
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