Following a government nudge, Apple will release a 5G software update for iPhone users in India in December. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the launch of 5G services in India on October 1, but while millions of Indians have 5G-ready phones, many devices do not currently support the 5G services.

The central government is currently in talks with phone makers to speed up software updates that will allow customers to experience 5G on their devices.

The situation is especially concerning, because of Apple. Given that the majority of foreign dignitaries visiting India will be using an iPhone, and that the majority of our ministers and their staff use iPhones for security reasons, Apple must release an update that enables 5G services on their devices as soon as possible.

Apple has now announced that iPhone users in India will be able to access 5G networks by December of this year when Indian telcos will roll out the necessary updates to enable 5G devices on iPhones with the required bands.

Here’s what Apple says in the statement:

We are working with our carrier partners in India 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 enabled via a software update and will start rolling out to iPhone users in December.

This device includes the iPhone SE 3rd Generation, the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13, and the iPhone 14.

On October 1, the first day of the 2022 edition of the Indian Mobile Congress in Delhi, India saw the launch of 5G services. Bharti Airtel was the first Indian telecom operator to offer 5G services in the country. Reliance Jio launched 5G services on October 5, and Vodafone Idea is expected to launch 5G soon.