Bharti Airtel has witnessed an increase in its average 5G download speeds. The increase in speed is witnessed in almost all telecom circles in the country except for Delhi, Mumbai, and Punjab. The report was released by Opensignal, a network intelligence firm, and covers a time period between Q1 2023 and Q1 2024. The telecom operator has been deploying 5G NSA (non-standalone) since October 2022. The telco's strategy differs from its rival, Reliance Jio, which is implementing 5G SA (standalone).
Opensignal data also reported that Reliance Jio experienced a decrease in 5G download speeds across nearly all telecom circles as India's 5G subscriber base and availability expanded.
Airtel and Jio 5G speed
Nationally, Airtel users saw an increase in average 5G download speeds from 260.4 Mbps in Q1 2023 to 273.6 Mbps in Q1 2024. During the same period, Airtel's 5G Availability grew from 12.5 percent to 20.7 percent. On a national level, Jio's average 5G download speed decreased from 323.6 Mbps in Q1 2023 to 261.8 Mbps in Q1 2024.
Jio's 5G Availability, on the other hand, increased from 34.9 percent in Q1 2023 to 64.9 percent in Q1 2024. Opensignal reported that the 5G users in Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and West Bengal were the most negatively impacted.
As of March 31, 2024, Reliance Jio had over 110 million 5G subscribers, surpassing Airtel's 72 million. Due to Jio's extensive 5G coverage and offering of unlimited 5G data, it's no wonder that the average download speeds have decreased.
What is the difference between Airtel and Jio’s 5G network?
As stated above both networks work on technology. Jio’s 5G operates on Standalone 5G infrastructure (SA) and Airtel’s 5G operates on Non-Standalone infrastructure (NSA).
The basic meaning of the 5G NSA mode is implied by the name: a network that cannot operate independently. In simple terms, NSA is a RAN (Radio Access Network) that works with the support of the 4G LTE's core known as EPC (Evolved Packet Core).
EPC essentially provides the foundation for a 4G network. It helps in integrating data and voice for a 4G LTE network. Previously, 2G and 3G networks had to utilise separate domains and switch constantly to provide data and voice. With EPC (the new core network), both data and voice are combined on a single domain, making the network more efficient.
In the case of an NSA mode for 5G, a dual connection is established. Here, the EPC (4G LTE's core network) serves as the sole framework for both the 4G LTE and 5G NR (wireless technology). The 5G NR control plane is connected to 4G LTE and utilises its core network EPC. Since the control plane is linked to the EPC, the 4G base station takes precedence. The NSA mode is feasible for the 5G network because it relies on the existing 4G infrastructure.
Standalone 5G operates independently and does not rely on a 4G core or infrastructure for its functioning. Telecom companies implementing 5G in a standalone mode need to establish brand-new infrastructure and quickly adapt to managing it. In standalone 5G, a 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) and 5G core are utilised to carry out essential 5G functions such as reducing latency, improving network performance, and overseeing network management tasks. The control plane for 5G NR is linked to the 5G core.
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