According to a recent report by Ookla, a network intelligence and connectivity insights company, has highlighted the impact of 5G on internet speeds and availability in India.
The report conveys that since the launch of 5G services in India, median download speeds have increased by 115% from 13.87 Mbps to 29.85 Mbps, and India’s position on Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index has improved by 49 places, from 118th in September 2022 to 69th in January 2023.
The average internet speed of India is now standing ahead of some of the G20 countries including Mexico, Russia, and Argentina, as well as its neighboring countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. The report also highlights that India is catching up with the likes of turkey, South Africa, and Brazil in terms of internet speed
Additionally, the report also highlights that 5G availability, which is the proportion of users with 5G-capable devices that use the 5G network, has increased 55 times from 0.1% in September 2022 to 5.5% in January 2023. The cities with the highest 5G availability in India are Cuttack, Chennai, and Noida.
The report also states that the 5G investments made by operators resulted in an increase in 4G LTE speeds due to the modernization of the existing infrastructure. The median 5G download speed is 25 times that of 4G LTE (338.12 Mbps vs. 13.30 Mbps), and the median 5G upload speed is 4.5 times 4G LTE (19.65 Mbps vs 3.55 Mbps). The report notes the improvements in LTE speeds (both for Airtel and Jio) in multiple cities as they are offloading 4G traffic onto their 5G network, therefore reducing 4G network congestion.
However, the report also highlights the churning pattern between January and December 2022. It showed that Vi India has been losing users throughout 2022, and following the 5G launch, the disconnections increased significantly. Most of Vi’s customers have moved away to Jio (1.88%) and Airtel (1.32%). Jio gained around 1.3% of customers from Airtel and Vi. In comparison, Airtel has lost 0.53% to Jio but gained 0.63% from Vi over the same period.
The report also states that Jio’s $25 billion investment seems to be working now, as in January 2023, Jio achieved median 5G download speeds of over 400 Mbps across ten telecom circles.
According to the financial results of the third quarter of the current financial year, Airtel had the highest average revenue per user (ARPU) at Rs 193. It was followed by Jio at Rs 178.2 and Vi at Rs 135.
The detailed analysis reveals the favorable influence of the fifth-generation cellular network on the swiftness and accessibility of the Internet in India. Nevertheless, the study also brings to attention the obstacles encountered by Vi India,
