According to a report by Opensignal, Bharti Airtel emerged as the top operator in India in 5G experience metrics, which include 5G video, 5G live video, 5G games experience, 5G download speed, and 5G upload speed. As per the report, Airtel users can not only enjoy the fastest average 5G download and upload speeds but also the best quality of experience while streaming on-demand and live videos, as well as playing multiplayer mobile games with 5G in India. Further, Airtel has also topped the charts in overall experience in video, live video, games, and upload speed experience.
The report mentioned that Reliance Jio has excelled in coverage, consistency, and download speeds. Jio remains the sole winner of all three awards in coverage category, which includes availability, 5G availability and coverage experience. Jio retains the consistent quality award, with a score of 66.5 per cent, which is 3.2 per cent points higher than Airtel. Jio also leads in availability (the proportion of time users who are connected to a cellular network) with 99.4 per cent, which is less than one per cent point higher than second-placed Airtel.
The report stated that Jio has rolled out a large-scale 5G standalone access (5G SA) network using the 700MHz band for rural areas and 3.5GHz band for urban centres, with mmWave (26GHz) reserved for high-capacity applications. Meanwhile, Airtel opted for a non-SA (NSA) approach, deploying 5G on top of its existing 4G infrastructure for faster urban rollouts.
The report indicated that both telco’s average 5G download speeds have declined significantly, primarily due to network congestion resulting from faster 5G adoption and increased data consumption per 5G subscriber.
According to the analysis, 16 per cent 5G connections in India use low-band (700MHz) spectrum, which offers extensive coverage but limits speed.
The Opensignal report examined the mobile network experience of Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi), Airtel, Jio, and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) over a period of 90 days.
