India’s telecom turf war just got a fresh twist — and Airtel is in the lead when it comes to raw 5G speed. According to the Opensignal Mobile Network Experience Report (June 2025), Airtel now holds the crown for both 5G Download and Upload Speed, even as rival Jio quietly closes the gap in other key areas. The findings are based on data collected over 90 days from February 1 to May 1.
Airtel Sprints to the Top in 5G Speed Stakes
If speed thrills, Airtel users have reason to cheer. The telecom giant has clinched all five 5G Experience awards — including 5G Video Experience, 5G Live Video Experience, 5G Games Experience, and both 5G speed metrics.
While its scores dipped slightly compared to the last cycle, Airtel’s 5G network still leads in delivering lightning-fast connectivity where it counts. “Airtel wins all five of the 5G Experience awards,” the report notes, underlining its strong performance across speed and quality benchmarks.
In Video Experience alone, Airtel scored 74.9 points on a 100-point scale, offering most users smooth Full HD streaming with barely any buffering. Jio isn’t far behind — just under three points shy — but the margin is enough for Airtel to hold the spotlight, for now.
Jio Slips Ahead in Upload and Widens Coverage Footprint
Jio may have lost the 5G speed title, but it’s not going home empty-handed. In a photo finish, it edged past Airtel to win the Upload Speed Experience award, clocking in at 9.1 Mbps, just a hair above Airtel’s 9.0 Mbps. More significantly, Jio dominated the report’s coverage and consistency categories, taking top honours for overall Availability, 5G Availability, Consistent Quality, and Reliability Experience.
The report credits Jio’s significant score jumps — a 2.7 Mbps gain in upload speeds compared to Airtel’s 2.1 Mbps — and its ability to push 5G into wider and often more rural areas, thanks to its standalone 5G (SA) rollout strategy using 700MHz spectrum for deep coverage.
The Battle of Strategies — and What Lies Ahead
While Airtel is betting on non-standalone (NSA) 5G piggybacked on its existing 4G infrastructure for faster urban rollout, Jio is building its 5G from the ground up. That difference is starting to show — Airtel leads on speed, but Jio’s network is more widespread and stable, especially in rural belts.
Meanwhile, Vi is making noise in select circles, especially Mumbai, where it’s aggressively pricing 5G plans to woo subscribers. Although still trailing in national metrics, Vi has shown strong momentum regionally. BSNL, on the other hand, continues to focus on 4G and remains distant from the leaders, despite some gains in speed and consistency.
The report also signals growing strain on 5G infrastructure, as user adoption surges and network congestion begins to impact performance — a trend Opensignal had flagged last year. Still, both Airtel and Jio are credited for pushing India into the 5G era with aggressive rollouts and ambitious expansion plans.
Final Lap? Not Even Close
India’s mobile landscape is shifting fast. Airtel may lead in 5G speed today, but Jio’s coverage game is putting serious pressure on the competition.
With spectrum auctions, mmWave experiments, and growing user demand all in play, the race is far from over. In fact, it’s just getting started.
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