India 5G download speeds hit 500 Mbps on test networks, show Ookla's data

The latest data by the internet testing firm Ookla highlighted that telecom operators across India are still revamping their networks to strengthen the 5G download speed

According to the latest data from internet testing company Ookla, download speeds on the 5G test network in India have hit 500 Mbps (Megabits per second), reported The Economic Times. While Reliance Jio is leading with 598.58 Mbps, rival Bharti Airtel recorded 197.98 Mbps in Delhi. Ookla's data highlighted that in India, telecom operators have been testing 5G even before its launch in the country. The data shows that at present, 5G download speeds range from 16.27 Mbps to 809.94 Mbps, indicating that telcos are still fine-tuning their networks. 
 

Sylwia Kechiche, principal industry analyst, Enterprise, at Ookla said that expectations are that these speeds will be more stable moving forward and that these networks will enter the commercial stage.
 

The data reported by Ookla provides information on 5G download speeds in four metros- Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Varanasi since June 2022. 
 

In Mumbai, Jio outperformed Airtel, with an average download speed of 515.38 Mbps compared to 271.07 Mbps for the former. In Kolkata, however, the duo's speeds varied most. Jio had a download speed of 482.02 Mbps, which was substantially quicker than the average download speed of 33.83 Mbps for Airtel. In Varanasi, however, Jio and Airtel came closer to parity. Since June, Airtel has been able to download content at a median 5G speed of 516.57 Mbps, compared to Jio's 485.22 Mbps. 
 

According to Ookla, India's mobile download speed in August 2022 was 13.52 Mbps, placing it 117th in the world.