Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) surpassed private telecom operators Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel to secure the top rank in the fixed-line internet segment in financial year 2026 (FY26), according to French independent network testing firm nPerf. Airtel and Jio scored 74,975 nPoints and 73,957 nPoints respectively in the fixed-line internet segment.
nPoints measure the average, real-world quality of internet connections and range from zero to over 50,000, combining metrics for download speed, upload speed, latency, and browsing and streaming performance into a single score.
BSNL’s fixed-line internet download speed grew 21 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to 78.5 megabits per second (Mbps), while its upload speed of 75.26Mbps was higher than that of its rivals. BSNL also offered the best latency, web browsing, and YouTube streaming experience among the three operators.
Airtel gained one place compared to the previous period, continuing a steadily positive five-year trend in fixed-line internet. Its download speed grew 10 per cent YoY to 62.4Mbps, with an upload speed of 38.71Mbps.
Jio recorded the highest fixed-line internet download speed of 79.6Mbps, reflecting 33 per cent YoY growth, though its upload speed of 33.46Mbps was slower than rivals and its latency was the highest among the three at 62.61 milliseconds (ms). nPerf noted that Jio’s five-year trend remains upward and that its fibre momentum provides a solid foundation.
In the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) segment, Airtel led with the highest download speed of 241.72Mbps, followed by Jio at 225.18Mbps and BSNL at 198.54Mbps.
Further, nPerf recommended that BSNL sustain its gains in FTTH speed performance and further close the latency gap on non-fibre connections to consolidate its leadership. It said Airtel should prioritise upload speed improvements to challenge BSNL, while Jio needs to ensure that its FTTH download speeds translate into a more balanced performance profile, particularly by improving upload speed and latency.
