More users uplinking to 5G coming with a cost: Lower download speeds

The rapid deployment of 5G across India has led to a jump in data usage, which has put mobile phone networks under strain and dragged down download speeds, mobile analytics company Opensignal said in a report.

The average download speeds in the first quarter of 2024 on Reliance Jio’s network had fallen from a year ago, while the parameter on rival Bharti Airtel’s network had improved, it said.

“Given the additional load on the 5G network both in terms of the number of subscribers and data traffic, not surprisingly, India’s national 5G download speed score decreased from 304 Mbps in Q1 2023 to 280.7 Mbps in Q4 2023,” Sylwia Kechiche, senior director of industry analysis at Opensignal, said in the report.