All 5G handsets to support Airtel’s 5G network by mid-December, says CEO Gopal Vittal

Bharti Airtel on Tuesday said all the 5G-enabled smartphones will support its non-standalone 5G network by mid-December, giving it an advantage over competition which is using the alternative mode of rolling out 5G network.

“All of Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Realme devices are ready for our network. Samsung and One Plus will be fully ready in the next couple of weeks, and Apple by mid-November or early December,” said Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO, Bharti Airtel, at the earnings call with analysts. “This can not be said with alternative technologies, where many devices will deliver either an inferior experience or simply not work on 5G,” Vittal said, hinting at Jio’s 5G deployment using standalone network.