Airtel and Jio 5G now available in 8000+ Indian cities: how to turn on 5G, recharge plans, and other details

India is moving towards a digital revolution with 5G. Telecom operators, including Jio and Airtel, are deploying their 5G networks across the country to offer high-speed internet. 5G is said to be around 20 to 30 times faster than the available 4G network. Both the telcos started rolling out their respective 5G networks from September 2022, and as of July 2023, their high-speed networks are now available in over 8,000 cities across the country, offering lightning-fast downloads, seamless streaming, and uninterrupted video calls.

Both Airtel and Jio have launched their 5G services in around 8,000 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Varanasi, Kolkata, Nathdwara, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Pune, Tirumala, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Guntur, Lucknow, Trivandrum, Mysuru, Nashik, Aurangabad, Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula, Zirakpur, among others. However, Jio is a bit ahead in the Jio roll out as currently it has rolled out its 5G network in more than 7,500 areas, districts, and cities across India. As for Airtel, Airtel has rolled out its 5G services in more than 3,000 cities across India, according to 91 Mobiles.

How to activate 5G

To enjoy the benefits of 5G, users must first ensure they are in an area where the service has been activated. Both Airtel and Jio have assured users that they can connect to the 5G network without changing their 4G SIM. Here is how you can activate the 5G network on your Android phone and iPhone:

For Android phones, users will have to go to the device's Settings> 'Network & Internet' > Select SIM and then turn on 5G.

If you have Jio, turn on 'standalone 5G'.

For iPhone users, activating 5G involves updating to the latest iOS version that enables 5G on iPhones. After updating and restarting the phone, users can switch to 5G by going to Settings > Mobile Data > Mobile Data Options > Voice & Data, and selecting either '5G On' or '5G Auto'.

5G plans

There is no dedicated 5G plan launched by Jio and Airtel. Both operators have promised to offer 5G speeds with the existing 4G recharge prepaid and postpaid plans. However, users will have to recharge their plans with Rs 239 or above to avail of the free 5G benefits.

Notably, the 5G speed will be dependent on the current plan or postpaid limit. For example, if you have a 2GB data plan, then you will get 2GB of 5G internet daily. However, after exhausting the daily high-speed data limit, the internet speed will drop to as low as 65 kbps. This speed limitation applies to both Airtel and Jio users.