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Jio and Airtel 5G plans, Jio Phone 5G, and BSNL 4G launch are expected to be some of the major telecom trends in 2023.
5G network has been making leaps and bounds in terms of rollout and availability for users since October. Jio and Airtel have been aggressively rolling out 5G services across India with an aim to complete the rollout by March 2024. 5G in India is easily the biggest development in telecom, and it has been a long time coming. There's much to look forward to in 2023, with Jio and Airtel expected to announce 5G plans, BSNL finally rolling out 4G, and Vodafone Idea joining the 5G bandwagon as well, among other things. In this article, we will discuss some of the major telecom trends that are expected in 2023. Let's begin.
Airtel and Jio are actively rolling out the 5G network in the country with high-speed mobile services already available in several cities, including Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, and others. However, both telecom networks haven't announced 5G data plans yet as they mentioned the pack details will be revealed when the 5G network becomes available pan-India. We can probably expect the 5G data plans to be revealed in 2023.
Recent reports have suggested that Airtel and Jio 5G plans will be on the same lines of current 4G tariffs. This will be seen as an opportunity to lure in more customers since India is a price-sensitive market and higher 5G plan prices could prove counterproductive.
5G is currently expanding to major metro cities such as Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and more. Come 2023, we can expect the network to be made available in even more cities. Jio is expected to complete the rollout of the network across India by the end of 2023. While Airtel claims it will finish the rollout by March 2024.
Another major telecom trend that is expected in 2023 is the launch of BSNL 4G and 5G networks. Recent reports have indicated that BSNL 4G will roll out to customers starting from January 2023 (but not certain). BSNL got permission to conduct 4G trials in India and since then, the telecom has been conducting trials in association with TCS across the country. BSNL has already upgraded its infrastructure for 4G in metro cities.
On the other hand, Ashwini Vaishnav, Minister of Communication, confirmed that BSNL 5G network will be deployed from August 2023. In some scenarios, it will be a simultaneous deployment, which will allow the public sector telco to catch up with the private sector."
Vodafone Idea is expected to launch 5G services in India soon. However, the telecom giant has not revealed any specific timeline for the same. It has upgraded its 4G network architecture and other technologies like dynamic spectrum refarming (DSR) and MIMO. "Our network is very much 5G-ready. When the 5G auction takes place, we will be able to launch 5G. However, there is a need to develop India's 5G use cases. India is unique and some global use cases might not be relevant," said Vodafone Idea MD and CEO Ravinder Takkar.
5G will be a massive upgrade in terms of speed and latency over the existing 4G network. This also means that 5G will consume more data per second compared to 4G. For instance, if you do a speed test to check out the 5G network, around 1GB/1.5GB of data is consumed (at least on the Airtel network) on just a couple of tests. This means that telecom networks will have to offer more data benefits with 5G plans when they are unveiled.
Jio is working on a 5G phone in association with Google. Rumours have already revealed the specifications of the phone in recent times. The phone is expected to launch in 2023 but the exact date or timeline isn't immediately clear. The Jio Phone 5G has already bagged the BIS certification.
The Jio Phone 5G is expected to come with a 6.5-inch HD+ LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. Powering the phone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480+ SoC paired with 4GB RAM and at least 32GB storage. The handset is likely to boot Android 12-based PragatiOS custom skin out of the box with GMS Services and the Jio suite of apps.
Jio Phone 5G pack a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. Connectivity features include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, and a USB Type-C port. As for the cameras, the Jio Phone 5G is expected to come with an 8MP front camera for selfies and video chats. On the back, the phone is tipped to pack dual cameras, with a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP macro lens.
These are just some of the trends in the telecom sector that you can expect to see next year.