Google on Wednesday shared a revised timeline for unlocking 5G bands on its Pixel series of smartphones in India. The company was widely expected to roll out an OTA (over-the-top) update unlocking the 5G frequency bands alongside its December Pixel feature drop. But the update did not arrive.

On Wednesday, Google said it will rollout the 5G update to its Pixel smartphones in India in the first quarter of 2023, while not committing to a specific timeframe.

“We have been actively working with Indian carriers on the various requirements that go into provisioning 5G and look forward to rolling this out for Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 6a in Q1 2023,” Google told CNBCTV18.com via email.

Google is among the last few major brands that have yet to rollout the soft unlock, with Apple, Samsung, OnePlus, et al already supporting the next-generation wireless communications technology — launched by Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi on October 1, 2023.

Also read: Reviewing 5G network in Delhi NCR: Good, better, best?

A few weeks later, after coming under pressure from telcos and the government, tech giants Apple and Samsung had committed to rolling out OTA updates to unlock 5G bands in supported smartphones by the end of the year in the country — which they have done.

In India, only Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio will offer commercial 5G services, with the two carriers rapidly expanding their services to all major cities in India. At the 5G Mega Spectrum Auction in August, Airtel bought the 900 MHz (n8), 1800 MHz (n3), 2100MHz (n1), 3300 MHz (n78), and 26 GHz (n258 mmWave) bands. Jio Infocomm, on its official website, says 5G services will be available in the n28 (700 Mhz), n78, n258 bands. Vi bought two — n78 and n258 — and will not be offering commercial 5G services.

The easiest, and very likely the most widely available "5G service" in the country will be powered by the 700/900 MHz frequencies, which are also incidentally where telcos made the most investment across all 22 circles the country. As we explained in this earlier piece, low-frequency bands offer a much wider coverage area — ideal for a country like India.

Meanwhile, last week, tech major Ericsson India announced the scaling up of its production capacity and operations with its partner Jabil in Pune to meet the needs of 5G network deployment.

Also read: Getting 5G on your phone may need more than a software upgrade