Reliance Jio and Airtel have said that they will start rolling out their 5G services by the end of next month.5G prices likely to be similar to 4G prices upon launch.5G rollout to begin in October, certain pockets to get 5G first.Jio, Airtel have announced the rollout of their 5G services.5G prices in India will be similar to 4G telcos to focus on higher adoption.
5G is set to roll out in India next month. Leading telcos Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have announced that they are ready to start rolling out their 5G services in the country starting next month. Since there is anticipation around 5G pricing in the country, it is likely that telcos will price their 5G services similar to 4G in the country. 5G prices in India will be similar to 4G telcos to focus on higher adoption.
According to a report in Economic Times (ET), Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are likely to launch their 5G services at a similar price to the 4G services offered by the telcos in the country. The report, citing industry executives and analysts, suggests that launching 5G services at a similar price to 4G will encourage mass adoption in the country.
Telcos are unlikely to go for premium pricing for 5G services in the early days, since they will look to push 4G users to adapt to the next-generation of mobile network. The report cites experts as hinting that telcos may consider a premium pricing for 5G services after acquiring a certain user base to establish a differentiation in services. This, however, won’t happen soon, since 5G handsets are still slightly expensive.
5G price in India: What experts say
“5G operators are unlikely to charge a premium over 4G rates initially as their immediate goal would be to drive 5G adoption, get more consumers to experience faster speeds, consume more data and, in turn, drive ARPU growth,” Rohan Dhamija, India head at Analysys Mason was quoted as saying.
Dhamija also gave the example of UK, saying that 5G services were launched at a preimum to 4G, but the premium was withdrawn as the strategy hindered 5G adoption in the region.
The report also cited a top executive of a Big 3 telecom operators as saying that companies will be mindful of the pricing, since a premium pricing could be a potential turn-off for users. “Consumers even in urban markets won’t pay a premium unless the 5G value-add is significantly more than current 4G data offerings,” ET quoted the executive as saying.
Kunal Vora, head of India equite research at BNP Paribas, said that 5G adoption levels will take a jolt if telecom operators decide to price 5G services higher than 4G. He said that 5G adoption is still in single-digits because there isn’t much use case currently.
Airtel CTO Randeep Sekhon had told 91Mobiles earlier back in July that Airtel 5G plans in India are expected to be priced similar to 4G plans that users currently pay for.
5G services to launch in October, limited to some pockets
The ET report also said that the initial 5G coverage will be limited to some pockets where the first wave of launches will happen. Airtel and Jio are said to launch their first wave of 5G services in October, and cash strapped Vodafone Idea (Vi) has not set a firm timeline for 5G rollout.
Also Read: Karnataka SSLC Exam 2023: important information for students
Also Read: 5G service to start in India from October1: Prime Minister Modi launched
Reliance Jio announced during its Annual General Meeting (AGM) last month that the company’s 5G services, dubbed Jio True 5G, will be rolled out by Diwali this year, which is in October next month. Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal has announced that Airtel is ready to launch its 5G services within a month. In an email to all Airtel customers earlier this month, Vittal also urged Airtel customers to go for 5G compatible smartphones while looking for a new phone.
Comments are closed.