Jio Tops 70% 5G Availability, Airtel Leads in Speed: Opensignal Report

Opensignal's June 2025 Mobile Network Experience report reveals significant advancements in India's 5G landscape. Data from February 1 to May 1, 2025, indicates that both Airtel and Jio have improved their 5G availability scores by over five percentage points compared to the previous report.

Jio has crossed the 70% availability mark for the first time-more than twice that of Airtel. Despite this, Airtel leads in overall 5G experience, winning all major awards including 5G Download and Upload Speed.

5G Strategies and Spectrum Allocation

Airtel and Jio have adopted distinct strategies for their 5G networks. Jio has implemented a large-scale standalone access (SA) network using lower band spectrum (700MHz) to enhance rural coverage, while deploying C band (3.5GHz) for urban areas. The highest band mmWave (26GHz) is reserved for high-capacity applications. Conversely, Airtel employs a non-standalone access (NSA) approach, leveraging existing 4G infrastructure for a quicker rollout focused on urban regions.

In the initial 2022 spectrum auction, Airtel and Jio secured most licenses across various bands including 700MHz, 800MHz, and others. Vi acquired spectrum only in the 3,300MHz band in 17 circles and the 26GHz band in 16 circles. Despite adding more spectrum in a follow-up auction in 2024, Vi's holdings remain significantly smaller than those of Airtel and Jio.

Government Initiatives and Future Plans

The Indian government has reallocated 687MHz of spectrum for mobile use earlier this year. However, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) highlights a deficit of around 400MHz needed to reach optimal holdings of 320MHz. Much of this shortfall lies in the higher-mid band range of the 6GHz spectrum. COAI urges the government to auction this spectrum to enhance national 5G coverage.

India's telecom regulator is also contributing to improving mobile network performance by auctioning bandwidth in mid-2024 and recommending mmWave spectrum allocation in upcoming auctions. The government plans to refarm or reuse nearly 1,100MHz of spectrum before the decade ends.

Airtel's Expansion Plans

Airtel is actively refarming its mid-band spectrum to manage increased traffic and plans to roll out standalone access technology soon. The operator recently acquired mmWave spectrum from Adani Data Networks—400MHz across six circles—to boost its network performance further.

BSNL remains focused on expanding its existing services rather than entering the 5G race. Despite improvements in its Consistent Quality score from a low base of 8% to now reaching 13.8%, BSNL lags behind competitors across all metrics.

Vi's Regional Launches

For the first time, Opensignal includes Vi in regional reporting as it launches commercially in four circles: Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarh Region (Punjab circle), and Patna (Bihar circle). However, Vi trails behind Airtel and Jio significantly.

The report evaluates mobile network experiences among India's main operators—Airtel, BSNL, Jio, and Vi—over a period starting February 1 until May 1, offering insights into their performances during these months.

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