Recently, there has been a rapid expansion of 5G network and services in India, as more people are turning to 5G for high-speed internet. Both Jio and Airtel have rolled out 5G service in most cities, although they have yet to launch any 5G plans and are currently offering free 5G data to users. However, there has been a big update regarding the network's data speed.
A recent report has indicated that as 5G is being promoted, its network quality is declining. The report revealed that as companies are rapidly developing 5G networks, the download speed is also seeing a significant drop.
According to Opensignal's report on the 5G network in India, the average download speed of 5G decreased from 304Mbps in the first quarter of 2023 to 280.7Mbps in the fourth quarter of the same year.
During the first quarter of this year, the download speed was particularly low during peak hours, possibly due to the heavy use of 5G data for tasks such as OTT streaming, gaming, and online shopping. This increased usage may be a major reason for the drop in download speed.
Airtel's performance has improved significantly in the 5G network, except for some states. In the first quarter of 2023, Airtel's average download speed was 260.4Mbps, which reportedly increased to 273.6Mbps in the first quarter of 2024.
On the other hand, there has been a considerable drop in Jio's 5G download speed. In the first quarter of 2023, Jio's download speed was 323.6Mbps, but in the first quarter of 2024, it dropped to 261.8Mbps. The most affected states by this drop were Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Meanwhile, Airtel has been introducing new recharge plans that are setting new trends in the industry. Recently, the company launched two plans that provide longer validity at a low cost. Now, Airtel has introduced a new data plan that is quite unique. This data plan is priced at Rs 9 and offers unlimited data, but there's a catch.
The Rs 9 prepaid data plan offers unlimited data, but it does not come with any service validity. Additionally, the plan is valid for only one hour and has a fair usage policy (FUP) limit of 10GB. Once this limit is reached, the speed will be reduced to 64 Kbps.
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