Vi (formerly known as Vodafone Idea) emerged as the fastest mobile operator over 4G in India in the third quarter of this year, while Jio led the list of 4G availability among top service providers, according to a report by network analyst firm Ookla. As per the report, data speeds vary among the largest cities in the country, and Hyderabad was found to have the fastest download experience over mobile networks in the third quarter. Ookla noted that the average download speeds over mobile networks in the country saw an year-over-year increase of 11.6 percent.
As per the report released by Ookla, Vi saw 13.74Mbps average download speed and 6.19Mbps average upload speed in the third quarter. Airtel followed Vi with an average download speed of 13.58Mbps and average upload speed of 4.15Mbps. Jio stood at third position with 9.71Mbps download and 3.41Mbps upload speeds on an average in the third quarter.
| Operator | Download speed (Mbps) | Upload speed (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|
| Vi | 13.74 | 6.19 |
| Airtel | 13.58 | 4.15 |
| Jio | 9.71 | 3.41 |
In terms of region-wise performance, the Ookla report stated that mobile download speeds vary among the largest cities in India during the third quarter. Hyderabad led that race with an average download speed over mobile networks at 14.35 percent, followed closely by Mumbai at 13.55Mbps and Visakhapatnam at 13.40Mbps. Delhi came sixth in the list of Indian cities offering top download speeds, with an average speed of 13.04Mbps.
Hyderabad had the fastest average mobile download speed in the third quarter, followed by Mumbai
Photo Credit: Ookla
On the basis of the data acquired from the Speedtest app on Android, Ookla mentioned that India led 4G availability among the largest South Asian countries during the third quarter with 94.7 percent of tested locations showing 4G available. Bangladesh and Pakistan followed India with a 4G availability rate of 78.6 and 72.9 percent, respectively.
India’s growth is largely contributed by Jio that led 4G availability at 99.7 percent during the third quarter. Airtel followed with 4G available in 98.7 percent of tested locations during the same period, while Vi India came third at 91.1 percent.
| Operator | 4G availability |
|---|---|
| Jio | 99.7 percent |
| Airtel | 98.7 percent |
| Vi | 91.1 percent |
Despite leading on the 4G availability front, India trailed Pakistan on the part of average download speeds over mobile networks in the third quarter, as per Ookla. Pakistan had 39.7 percent faster download speeds over India, whereas Bangladesh was third for download speed and second for upload speed. This means that the average upload speed in India was even lower than what was provided in Bangladesh — at a rate of 4.18Mbps.
Nevertheless, average download speeds over mobile networks improved in India between the third quarter last and this year. Pakistan, however, saw an increase of 24.1 percent in its download speeds during the same period, according to the report.
“Upload speeds remained mostly flat across South Asia’s largest countries, with only Pakistan showing a slight improvement year over year,” Ookla said.
India ranked 131st position on Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index for mobile Internet speeds in the month of September with an average mobile download speed of 12.07Mbps. The country’s neighbours were above it on the list, with China on the second spot, Sri Lanka on the 102nd position, and even Pakistan capturing the 116th rank as well as Nepal holding the 117th position.
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