Airtel is a far second with 4G download speed of 9.7 mbps, with Vodafone and Idea close in the heels at speeds of 6.7 mbps and 6.1 mbps respectively. However when it came to upload speeds, the tables were turned. With 5.9 mbps speed, Idea was on top of the uploading speed list. Idea was followed by Vodafone with 5.3 mbps, Jio with 5.1 mbps and Airtel with 3.5 mbps.
In May this year, Reliance Jio had recorded 19 mbps but made an overwhelming recovery the following month. Airtel, too, saw an increase in speeds from 9.3 mbps. Vodafone and Idea, however, saw a slight decrease in speeds from 6.8 mbps and 6.5 mbps respectively.
Jio was the only gainer when it came to upload speeds, Airtel and Vodafone maintained the previous month's record.
When it came to 3G download speeds, Idea and Airtel were at par, followed by Vodafone slightly after. BSNL was the last on the list. Vodafone was the leader in 3G upload speed, followed by Idea, BSNL and finally, Airtel.
Jio, already the leader in 4G speeds is on its way to disrupt the broadband market as well. During RIL's 41st AGM, the Ambanis announced a game-changer - fixed line broadband service, JioGigaFiber that will offer fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) broadband connections. Starting August 15, those interested can register through MyJio or Jio.com. Locations from where they get maximum registration will see an early roll out of JioGigaFiber.
But in this turf war, Bharti Airtel will not let its piece of the pie go so easily. It is beefing up for this war by setting aside a chunk of its Rs 24,000-crore capex guidance for FY19 for expansion. The company currently has its broadband presence in 89 cities, which they are planning to expand to 100, with a primary target of big data consumption zones. It also has plans to connect 10 million homes by FY21, which should boil down to around 3 to 5 million new home service customers.
