India jumps to 47th spot in Ookla Speedtest Global Index

Average internet speeds in India have shot up by as much as 3.6 times with the advent of 5G technology. As a result of the same, it has climbed 72 spots to reach the 47^th position on the Speedtest Global Index by Ookla, from the 119^th position earlier.

India’s median download speeds stood at 50.21MBPS as of August 2023, as compared to 13.87MBPS a year ago. In addition to having some of the fastest mobile internet speeds amongst its neighbours, including the likes of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, India also ranked ahead of many developed G20 nations including the UK, Japan, Brazil, and South Africa.

Even within the country, median download speeds varied from around 512MBPS in Gujarat, to about 19.2MBPS in Uttar Pradesh. However, by August 2023, median 5G download speeds exceeded 240 Mbps across the country.

5G technology, in addition to being faster than 4G, also provides for more stable internet connectivity when on the move. Therefore, India’s 5G network operators have also received higher Net Promoter Scores (NPS) than those still on 4G.

Reasons for the rise of 5G in India

India has one of the higest density of mobile internet users anywehre in the world, with people uing their smartphones and tablets for education from education to entertainment, and everything in between. There are currently two 5G network operators in India – Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, operating the same since October 2022. The two, with their competitively priced plans, have contributed to an exponential increase in the number of 5G subscribers across the country.

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Up until now, both mobile networks in India, particularly 4G networks, saw severe congestion and low speeds, owing to a high population density, and a lack of cellular infrastructure. Now though, since traffic from 4G networks has also been shifted onto 5G networks, speeds have also improved on the former.