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India Ranks 14th Globally in 5G Speed, Signaling Digital Leap Forward

Ookla shared its report on India's 5G industry’s user experience and looked at the progress made since the first 5G network was launched in 2022. Global 5G has strengthened India's position largely by rapidly deploying 5G in the country through major operators like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel Display sequencing.

India ranked 14th globally in terms of 5G median download speed, reaching 301.86 Mbps in Q4 2023, driven by massive deployment efforts by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. India also saw a significant increase in 5G availability from 28.1 percent in Q1 2023. It increased to 52.0 percent in the fourth quarter, with Reliance Jio leading at 68.8 percent compared to Airtel's 30.4 percent.

With 5G download speeds of 301 Mbps, users get a huge jump in performance compared to 4G network capacity. The average speed of 4G is 16.05 Mbps, which represents an impressive 18-fold increase in speed for 5G users. Additionally, deployment speeds on 5G networks are reportedly six times faster than on 4G LTE, providing a comprehensive analysis of network performance.

India’s 5G speed ranking puts it below countries like UAE, Qatar, South Korea, and Malaysia. However, the country’s tremendous progress in 5G underscores its potential for further growth and development.

Increased 5G speeds have increased the demand for streaming video and gaming, and users appreciate the convenience of on-the-go applications. The startup time for video streaming over a 5G network has been significantly reduced from 1.99 seconds to just 1.14 seconds on 4G LTE. Additionally, mean latency improved, resulting in flawless gaming experiences for users on 5G networks.

Jio and Airtel are hitting the ranks with 5G services while Vodafone Idea is still in the process of introducing 5G in the country. 5G data services are available at no charge which could eventually change, and the telcos will be hoping that these higher 5G speeds will entice people to spend more out of pocket shortly when that day arrives.

As India continues to make progress on its 5G journey, the ground is set for new features and expansions, which promise to transform the impact on digital connectivity and user experience across the country.

Conclusion: India’s climb to the 14th position in the global 5G speed rankings is a milestone in its digital growth. With faster internet speeds and improved connectivity, the country is poised for a new wave of innovation, entrepreneurship, and socio-economic development.