A year after the launch of 5G services, India’s ranking in mobile internet download speeds moved up 72 spots to 45th place in August from 119th in September 2022, according to a report by Ookla.

The report has attributed 5G rollout behind India’s internet speeds performance which also led to an improved overall user experience across all telecom circles compared to 4G.

Since the introduction of 5G, India’s speed performance has seen a 3.6 times increase, with median download speeds improving to 50.21 Mbps in August from 13.87 Mbps in September 2022, according to Ookla.

With improvement in ranking, India is not only ahead of countries like Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, but also some G20 countries, such as Mexico, Turkey, the UK, Japan, Brazil, and South Africa.

Following the 5G spectrum auction, operators have been able to address some of the issues and helped to offload 4G traffic onto 5G networks, thus reducing 4G network congestion, said Sylwia Kechiche, principal industry analyst, Enterprise at Ookla, in the report.

Currently, 25-35% of internet traffic is getting offloaded on 5G from 4G network, which has been facing network congestion caused by population density, lack of cellular infrastructure, backhaul, as well as spectrum constraints.

“We now have over 50 Mbps average download speeds, thus, we have achieved the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP) and National Broadband Mission target for wireless broadband,” said Vikram Tiwathia, deputy director general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

On October 1, 2022, both Airtel and Jio launched 5G services in the country. A year after the launch, the total 5G subscriber base in the country has crossed over 100 million.

In October 2022, there was a noticeable difference in the performance of 5G networks on 5G-compatible devices. Further, the median download speeds ranged from 512.57 Mbps in Gujarat to 19.23 Mbps in Uttar Pradesh West as the networks were under development, the report said.

In fact, in nine telecom circles – Andhra Pradesh, Kolkata, North East, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh West — median 5G download speeds were below 100 Mbps because networks were in early testing stages. By August 2023, median 5G download speeds exceeded 240 Mbps across all telecom areas, with Kolkata leading the pack with a median download speed of 385.50 Mbps.

According to the department of telecommunications (DoT), the country had 338,572 5G base stations (BTS) as of August 28, compared to 53,590 reported at the beginning of 2023.

The three most populous states in India – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar – account for 25% of all wireless subscribers in the country and also hold a 25% share of 5G BTS.

“5G has not only brought faster speeds but also higher customer satisfaction, as indicated by the Net Promoter Score (NPS), which shows that 5G users in India consistently rate their network operators more positively compared to 4G users,” Kechiche added.

Additionally, Airtel and Jio have also introduced 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) to provide broadband connectivity in areas where laying fiber is costly or impractical.