In Short:
India has made significant progress in 5G deployment, ranking 14th globally for fast download speeds. Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel play a key role, with over 400,000 5G base stations deployed. The availability of 5G in India has increased to 52%, driven by growth in 5G-capable smartphones. Reliance Jio leads in 5G availability. Vodafone Idea has not yet launched commercial 5G services.
India Ranks Among Top 15 Countries for Fastest 5G Download Speeds: Ookla
India has secured a spot in the top 15 markets globally with the fastest reported 5G media download speeds on the back of the large-scale and swift deployments of fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks by the top telecom operators Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, according to network testing and analytics firm Ookla.
Speed Rankings and Deployment
According to Ookla’s analysis of Q4 2023 data, India ranked 14th globally in 5G median download speeds with 301.86Mbps and median upload speeds of 18.93Mbps.
Affandy Johan, Industry Analyst at Ookla, stated that by the end of December 2023, India had more than four hundred thousand 5G base stations (BTSs) deployed nationwide, making India one of the fastest countries to roll out 5G globally.
Global Standings
The GCC countries of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar led the fastest 5G markets globally, followed by South Korea in the Asia Pacific region. In India, the 5G median download speed of 301.86Mbps was significantly faster than 4G speeds.
5G Availability
Johan noted that 5G availability in India showed improvement throughout 2023, with a significant increase from Q1 to Q4. This increase is attributed to the growth in 5G-capable smartphones in the market.
Market Dynamics
Reliance Jio had the highest 5G availability, leveraging a combination of low-band and mid-band spectrum along with an extensive fiber network. On the other hand, Vodafone Idea, the third-largest telco in India, is yet to commercially launch its 5G services.
