NEW DELHI:  While India's overall 5G speed reached 500 Mbps as the country rolled out 5G services, Reliance Jio recorded around 600 Mbps median download speed on its 5G network in Delhi, a report showed 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 information suggests that the operators are still fine-tuning their networks. As these networks get towards the commercial phase, the speeds should become more consistent, the report mentioned.

Jio and Airtel each developed their networks in four locations, and Ookla compared the average 5G download speeds in those cities. While Jio almost crossed the 600 Mbps barrier in Delhi, Airtel recorded a median download speed of nearly 200 Mbps at 197.98 Mbps (598.58 Mbps).

Operators' median download speeds vary significantly in Kolkata since June. Jio had a faster median download speed of 482.02 Mbps than Airtel, which had a median download speed of 33.83 Mbps.
Since June, Jio's median download speed in Mumbai has been 515.38 Mbps, while Airtel's has hit 271.07 Mbps.
In Varanasi, Jio and Airtel have come closer to parity. Since June 2022, Airtel has had a 5G median download speed of 516.57 Mbps compared to Jio's 485.22 Mbps. In addition to Jio's 5G beta experiment "Jio True 5G for All," Bharti Airtel has started its 5G services in eight locations, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Varanasi.

As per Ookla's latest consumer survey, 89 percent of Indian smartphone users are ready to upgrade to 5G. "The latest 5G results demonstrate that 5G speeds are far faster than India's current network. "5G devices are already demonstrating they can reach substantially faster speeds, at least under artificially controlled testing situations, e.g., no network congestion and optimal network coverage," the report said. However, we should proceed with caution given these preliminary results.

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.

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