Bharti Airtel launched 5G NSA (non-standalone) network in India in October 2022. Where Reliance Jio has brought 5G SA (standalone) network. As a result, many were curious about which technology network would provide better service. But Opensignal recently claimed that Airtel's 5G download speed increased significantly in Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023 in all telecom circles, except Delhi, Mumbai and Punjab circles. Besides, Opensignal also claimed that Jio's average 5G download speed has gradually decreased in almost all telecom circles in the country since the launch of 5G SA network.
Performance of Airtel's 5G network in different circles
Jio currently has more 5G subscribers than Airtel. While Airtel had around 72 million (7.2 lakh) subscribers at the end of March 31, 2024, Jio's 5G subscriber base was over 110 million (11 lakh). So, since Jio offers unlimited 5G data with wider 5G coverage, it's no surprise that their download speeds drop.
Note that Airtel's average download speed was 260.4 Mbps in the first quarter of 2023, but the telco's average download speed reached 273.6 Mbps in the first quarter of 2024.
And, while Jio provided internet service at 323.6 Mbps speed in the first quarter of 2023, the download speed decreased to 261.8 Mbps in the first quarter of 2024.
