The company said it would push software upgrades to recent models, including the iPhone 14, 13, 12 and iPhone SE, which, industry sources say, do not support the network currently.
As Indian authorities pressed mobile phone manufacturers to adopt the high-speed network, Apple Inc said on Wednesday that it will begin upgrading its iPhone models in India in December to make them compatible with 5G networks.
The company said it would push software updates to recent models, including 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 Indian carrier partners to bring the best 5G experience to iPhone users as soon as network validation and testing for quality and performance is completed.”
“5G will be turned on with a software update, and iPhone users will be able to get it in December.”
On October 1, Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, launched 5G services with a lot of fanfare. Leading telecom company Reliance Jio said the service would be available in four cities, while rival Bharti Airtel said it would be available in eight cities.
According to a government document seen by Reuters, top officials from India’s telecoms and IT departments will lead a meeting on Wednesday to discuss early 5G adoption. They will invite executives from Apple, Samsung, Vivo, and Xiaomi, as well as Indian telecom companies Reliance, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea.