As the country rolled out 5G services, Reliance Jio recorded around 600 Mbps median download speed on its 5G network in Delhi, While India’s overall 5G speed reached 500 Mbps according to a report released on Tuesday.
Telecom operators tested their networks and saw a wide range of 5G download speeds, from low double-digit (16.27 Mbps) to 809.94 Mbps, according to Ookla’s “Speedtest Intelligence” report.
“This data points to the fact that the operators are still recalibrating their networks. The speeds are expected to be more stable moving forward as these networks will enter the commercial stage,” the report mentioned.
Ookla compared median 5G download speeds across four cities where both Jio and Airtel have built their networks.
In Delhi, Airtel reached nearly 200 Mbps median download speed at 197.98 Mbps while Jio almost broke 600 Mbps (598.58 Mbps).
In Kolkata, operators’ median download speeds varied the most since June. Airtel’s median download speed was 33.83 Mbps while Jio had faster median download speed at 482.02 Mbps.
In Mumbai, Airtel’s has reached 271.07 Mbps median download speed compared to Jio’s 515.38 Mbps median download since June.
In Varanasi, Jio and Airtel achieved closer parity, with Airtel achieving a 5G median download speed at 516.57 Mbps to Jio’s 485.22 Mbps median download speed since June 2022.
Bharti Airtel has launched their 5G services in eight cities and Jio’s 5G beta trial “Jio True 5G for All” is now available with select users in four cities a” Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Varanasi.
“The new 5G results show that 5G speeds are far superior than India’s existing network. While we need to approach these early results with caution, 5G devices are already showing they can achieve much faster speeds, at least under artificial controlled testing circumstances e.g., no network congestion and ideal network coverage,” the report noted.
According to a recent consumer poll by Ookla, 89% of Indian smartphone users are ready to make the switch to 5G.
India’s mobile download speed in August was 13.52 Mbps, placing it 117th in the world, according to the Speedtest Global Index.
All operators have noticed a noticeable increase in the number of 5G-capable smartphones in Hyderabad, with Jio even tripling its install base.
(inputs from IANS)