Network intelligence and connectivity insights provider Ookla recently said that in May 2022, India jumped three places to stand at 115 in Speedtest Global Index rankings for mobile internet. As for fixed broadband, India ranked 75 as compared to 76 in April. India recorded 14.28 Mbps median mobile download speeds in the month, up from 14.19 Mbps in April. However, there was a slight dip in the median download speeds on fixed broadband to 47.86 in May from 48.09 Mbps in the previous month.
India is preparing to hold an auction for a block of Rs4.3 lakh crore worth of airwaves capable of offering fifth-generation or 5G telecom services, including ultra-high-speed internet. Industry experts say that telecom giants like Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Reliance Jio are already getting rid of non-paying accounts, which are considered dead weight. Cutting connections that are just dead-weight will help companies to free up their networks and other critical resources. This will help the companies to be better prepared in case they are able to win the 5G auctions scheduled for next month.
Union telecom minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a statement, has said that 5G networks are expected to be operational in at least 20-25 cities by the end of the year.
Ookla has said that the 5G era in India will be that of stability and disruptions in the market are unlikely. In a statement to an English publication, CEO and co-founder of Ookla, Doug Suttles, said that with three major players in the industry, there will a competitive market, and price wars like that during the 4G era will be unlikely. India will benefit greatly from the 5G revolution.
