In Q4 2023, India’s average 5G download speed dropped to 280.7 Mbps from 304 Mbps in Q1 2023, according to Opensignal. This decline is attributed to a significant increase in 5G data consumption.
5G Data Consumption and User Growth
5G Data Surge: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) reported a 12.6% increase in 5G data usage in Q4 2023, reaching 6239 petabytes.
Subscriber Increase: The number of 5G users grew to 180 million by Q4 2023. Reliance Jio led with 108 million users, followed by Airtel with 72 million. Jio noted that its 5G traffic is nearing 30% of its total mobile data traffic.
GSMA Intelligence forecasts that 5G connections will surpass 260 million by Q4 2025, making up 22% of all mobile connections.
Impact on Download Speeds
National Decline: The average 5G download speed decreased from 304 Mbps in Q1 2023 to 280.7 Mbps in Q4 2023.
Peak Hour Speeds: Opensignal noted a significant drop in 5G speeds during peak hours (9 PM – 12 AM) in Q1 2024 compared to Q1 2023, primarily due to increased evening usage for streaming, gaming, and online shopping.
Airtel’s 5G Performance
Investments and Network Expansion
Airtel has shifted its capacity investments entirely to 5G, ceasing 4G investments.
The company deployed around 43,100 network sites and 55,982 kilometers of fiber, crucial for maintaining quality service. Airtel employs 5G non-standalone (NSA) technology, which depends on a 4G core network.
Network Growth
India now has 446,000 5G base transceiver stations (BTS), equating to 31 BTS per 100,000 inhabitants. Comparatively, South Korea has 593, and the EU has 103, indicating room for growth in India.
Regional Performance
Airtel’s 5G performance improved in most regions except Punjab, Mumbai, and Delhi.
The average 5G download speed increased from 260.4 Mbps in Q1 2023 to 273.6 Mbps in Q1 2024. Airtel’s 5G availability grew from 12.5% to 20.7% in the same period.
Jio’s 5G Performance
National and Regional Speeds
Jio’s national 5G download speed dropped from 323.6 Mbps in Q1 2023 to 261.8 Mbps in Q1 2024. The most affected regions were Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and West Bengal.
Increased Availability
Despite the speed drop, Jio’s 5G availability increased significantly from 34.9% in Q1 2023 to 64.9% in Q1 2024.
This improvement is due to Jio’s expanded use of low-band spectrum (700 MHz and 3.5 GHz), which grew from nearly 10% in Q1 2023 to over 18% in Q1 2024.
Jio is the only operator in India with access to the 700 MHz spectrum, which enhances network reach but can reduce download speeds.
Future Outlook
Opensignal will continue to monitor India’s 5G performance, especially with Vodafone Idea (Vi) preparing to launch 5G services.
A 5G spectrum auction scheduled for June 25, 2024, will include 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300 MHz, and 26 GHz bands, valued at Rs. 96,317.65 crore.