Airtel tops 4G download speed, Jio offers best consistent quality: Tutela

Airtel has the fastest 4G download speeds by a considerable margin, according to a new report, published by Tutela, a mobile quality measurement company.

Airtel's 4G download speed is 8.6 Mbps, over 2 Mbps faster than the closest nationwide 4G competitor, Vodafone.

Despite having the only 4G-only network, Jio has the slowest overall 4G download speed, the report said.

BSNL and Vodafone are tied for the best average 3G download speed, at 3.3 Mbps. That score is well in excess of the basic quality threshold, but still significantly below the bar needed for excellent consistent quality.

Overall, Vodafone and Idea have very similar results for average 4G and 3G download speeds. That suggests that although the merger of their networks might prove beneficial for other reasons, customers are unlikely to see improved download speeds.

However, Jio has the best overall consistent quality, with its customers having a good enough network connection for basic usage 96 percent of the time, the report said.

Idea Cellular has 4.7 Mbps 4G upload speed. Vodafone has 4.5 Mbps 4G upload speed. Jio has 3.8 Mbps 4G upload speed.

The merger of Idea Cellular and Vodafone will significantly improve the network coverage for customers of both networks.

Jio had the best overall consistent quality, with 95.7 percent of all tests meeting the standards for either basic or excellent consistent quality. That means that Jio's users were able to make a VOIP call, check emails, or use most basic apps 19 times out of 20.

Airtel was in a close second place, with 93.6 percent of tests hitting one of the two thresholds. For excellent consistent quality, Airtel beat out Jio for first place, meaning that Airtel's users are the most likely to be able to stream HD video or make a video call over their mobile network connection.