Reliance Jio continued its leadership position as the fastest mobile network with an average download speed of 21 Megabits (Mbps) per second in July, while Vodafone topped the chart in terms of upload speed, as per the recent data published by sector regulator Trai. After registering a dip in 4G download speed at 17.6 Mbps in June, Jio's network recorded improvement in speed at 21 Mbps, and the operator is leading the chart for nearly two years now. According to the speed chart published by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Airtel network recorded an average download speed of 8.8 Mbps, Vodafone had 7.7 Mbps average download speed, while Idea Cellular had 6.6 Mbps. The Trai data also revealed that BSNL has topped the 3G download speed chart with an average speed of 2.5 Mbps, while Airtel has the lowest 3G speeds at 1.4 Mbps.
BSNL is the Fastest 3G Operator in India
State-run BSNL was the fastest 3G operator with an average download speed of 2.5 Mbps in July. Idea followed BSNL with 2 Mbps average download speed, Vodafone with 1.9 Mbps, while Airtel network recorded 3G download speed of 1.4 Mbps.
Vodafone was the fastest 4G upload network with an average speed of 5.8 Mbps in July. Idea Cellular followed it with 5.3 Mbps upload speed, while Jio had an average speed of 4.3 Mbps, followed by Airtel with 3.2 Mbps.
The download speed plays an important role when a user watches any video, browses the internet, accesses emails, while good upload speed is required when a user wants to share data like images, videos and any other file through email or social media applications.
BSNL, Vodafone and Idea recorded average upload speed of 1.2 Mbps on the 3G network in July, while Airtel registered a lower upload speed of 0.6 Mbps.
Airtel, Vodafone Idea Lost 41.75 Lakh Subscribers in June
Older operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea continued to lose subscribers - 41.75 lakh combined - during June, while rival Reliance Jio added over 82.6 lakh users, according to data released by Trai. In absolute terms, Vodafone Idea continued to lead the total subscriber tally at 38.34 crore, followed by Jio with 33.12 crore and Bharti Airtel with 32.03 crore.
Vodafone Idea shed 41.45 lakh subscribers, and Bharti Airtel 29,883 customers during June, while the Jio continued to add customers at a breakneck speed. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) data showed that Jio gained 82.68 lakh customers in June, higher than 81.80 lakh additions it had notched in May.
State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd - despite all its financial and operational woes - continued to gain subscribers in June as well. BSNL, which was the only mobile operator apart from Jio to add customers, gained 2.66 lakh users during June.
Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel, which have introduced minimum recharge schemes in their quest to chase higher average revenues per user (ARPUs) and improve financials, have seen their subscriber base erode in the past months but the pace of subscriber loss appears to have slowed down in June.
For instance, Vodafone Idea had lost 56.97 lakh subscribers and Bharti Airtel 15.08 lakh users in May. These two operators have been locked in a bruising tariff war following the entry of Reliance Jio, backed by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani.
Jio's entry into the market dented the financial metrics of the operators, deepening the impact of regulatory decisions like cut in termination charges, even though the voice and data usage per se have been growing at a scorching pace.
Jio shook the mobile telephony market with free voice calls and dirt cheap data in 2016, and within three years became the largest telecom player in the market by revenue.
It is now hoping to repeat the feat in fixed-line broadband space and has recently announced that 'JioFiber' will offer free voice calls for life from landlines, 100 Mbps minimum broadband speed at subscription starting from Rs 700 a month and free HD TV set on a commitment to an annual plan.
As on June 30, 2019, Vodafone Idea had a subscriber market share of 32.9%, Reliance Jio (28.42%), and Bharti Airtel (27.49%).
