'India should get 5G handset software upgrade soon': PayTm founder asks Google when he can't access 5G service in his new Google Pixel 6a

PayTm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma couldn't avail Airtel 5G services on his newly bought Google Pixel 6a. He shared the screenshot on his official twitter handle saying Google needs to provide software update in India soon.

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New Delhi: PayTm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma has asked Google to provide 5G handset software upgrade soon as he couldn’t access 5G service on his new smartphone Google Pixel 6a which was bought for the 5G purpose only. He tweeted on Sunday sharing his misery to not ablt to use 5G services in his newly bought Google premium smartphone and tagged Google India and Airtel.

Sharma shared the screenshot which was showing 5G network unavailable and wrote, “Ouch ! Hello @GoogleIndia do you think India should get 5G handset software upgrade soon ? @GooglePixel_US.”

Ouch ! Hello @GoogleIndia do you think India should get 5G handset software upgrade soon ? @GooglePixel_US pic.twitter.com/lrv2IJiEXa — Vijay Shekhar Sharma (@vijayshekhar) October 9, 2022

He posted another tweet saying that the Google Pixel 6a isn’t showing 5G network option in Delhi. He had done all upgrades done and I bought this phone just to use 5G.

Hello @Airtel_Presence , even the Google Pixel 6a is not showing 5G network option in Delhi.
All upgrades done and I bought this phone just to use 5G ! pic.twitter.com/lau3WetqzT — Vijay Shekhar Sharma (@vijayshekhar) October 9, 2022

His tweet went viral in minutes with other people joining in, raising the same issue. “Same is happening on my iPhone 13 pro which has the latest software update,” a Twitter user wrote.

Why is it crucial?

Bharti Airtet rolled out 5G service on October 6 in eight cities. The service is available in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Nagpur, and Varanasi. The company said users will not need to change their SIM card as the existing one will now be 5G-enabled.

Is my smartphone compatible?

According to the Airtel website, 5G models of companies like Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Realme and OnePlus are compatible. Some of the devices include Samsung Fold series, Galaxy S22 series, iPhone 12 series and later models, Realme 8s 5G, Realme X7 series, Vivo X50 onwards smartphones and other devices. Some companies are, however, yet to release software updates in order to make it compatible with 5G.