Airtel, Reliance Jio 5G Speeds Decline Due to Network Congestion, Faster Adoption Rate: Report

5G network speeds of top telecommunications providers in India such as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio have declined significantly, according to a market analysis report. While Airtel emerged as India's best 5G experience provider, courtesy of the fastest average 5G download and 5G upload speeds, Jio achieved a score of 66.5 percent and won the Consistent Quality Award. However, both telecom providers are experiencing a slowdown in network speeds but are said to be taking the required steps to effectively manage the spectrum resources.

5G Network Speeds Decline

According to a report by independent analytics company OpenSignal, both Airtel and Reliance Jio have witnessed significantly reduced 5G network speeds. This is said to be due to two network congestion resulting from faster 5G adoption and increased data consumption per 5G subscriber.

The analysis reveals that only 16 percent of 5G connections in India use the low-band (700MHz) spectrum. While this spectrum provides a wider coverage, it limits the speed. Meanwhile, other connections utilise the mid-band 3.5GHz spectrum.

Airtel leads India's 5G market in several categories including download speed, upload speed, live video, video streaming, and games experience. It uses a non-standalone access (NSA) approach which involves deployment of 5G technology on top of the existing 4G infrastructure. This method is said to result in a quicker rollout of 5G in urban areas. Additionally, the telecom provider is strengthening its 4G infrastructure too, with 300,000 new base stations planned over the next three years.

While Reliance Jio falls behind Airtel in certain categories, it retains the Consistent Quality award, with a reported score of 66.5 percent. Users are said to have sufficient speed to handle everyday tasks like uploading photos on social media or video calling. The telecom provider has a 99.4 percent availability score, leading the market in India.

While both Airtel and Reliance Jio having already deployed 5G strategies, Vodafone Idea (Vi) and BSNL are said to be hampered by financial troubles with regards to the commercial launch of 5G services in India.