NEW DELHI Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) said on Wednesday that it will start updating its iPhone models in India in December to make them compatible with 5G networks. This comes as Indian officials have been pushing mobile phone makers to use the high-speed network.
The company said it would push software updates to newer models, such as the iPhone 14, 13, 12, and SE, which, according to industry sources, do not currently support the network.
Apple said in a statement, “We are working with our carrier partners in India to give iPhone users the best 5G experience as soon as network validation and testing for quality and performance are done.”
“5G will be turned on with a software update, and iPhone users will start getting it in December.”
On October 1, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 5G services with a lot of fanfare. Leading telecom company Reliance Jio said it would offer the service in four cities, while rival Bharti Airtel said it would offer the service in eight cities.
Top officials from India’s telecoms and IT departments will lead a meeting on Wednesday to discuss early 5G adoption. They have asked executives from Apple, Samsung (KS:005930), Vivo, and Xiaomi (OTC:XIACF), as well as domestic telecom companies Reliance, Airtel, and Vodafone (NASDAQ:VOD) Idea, to attend. Reuters has seen a government document asking Apple, Samsung, Vivo, and Xiaomi to send representatives to the meeting.
