After the 5G data war, Airtel may now be quietly gearing up for a showdown with Reliance Jio over its 5G-based home internet service. Jio launched JioAirFiber earlier this year to provide fibre-like speed over the air without any wires. It seems now Airtel is prepping up a rival service called Airtel Xstream AirFiber 5G.
Airtel Xstream AirFiber 5G includes a JioAirFiber-like wireless router that requires an Airtel SIM to start. The SIM slot is located at the bottom of the device. Once the SIM is inserted, the device needs to be plugged to the nearby power source and done. There are couple of ethernet ports also given on the back of the device so that it can be connected with a TV, computer, laptop or any other device you want.
While Airtel is yet to confirm on this device, the news comes from the screenshots shared by OnlyTech and reported by GSMArena. The screenshots are shared by an Airtel user who writes – “I am using Airtel 5G sim on my mobile, when I opened the app it is trying to get location access and pointing to nearest 5G tower and asking to place 5G device in that direction.”
The screenshots reveal that the device will use AR function to detect a good spot in the house with a strong 5G signal. Once the device is plugged to the power source, it will show three indicators- internet network indicator, cellular network indicator, and connectivity indicator.
The Airtel app also leaked the pricing scheme for the Airtel Xstream AirFiber service. The router will cost Rs 6000. It can be paired with a six months subscription with 100Mbps speed which will cost Rs 2,994. To compare, Airtel Xstream Fiber costs Rs 499 a month and offers 40Mbps speed. The Xstream AirFiber plan sounds a more cost-effective option here.
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