Areport by the telecom analyst firm OpenSignal, released a week prior to the commencement of the 2023 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup, reveals that Reliance Jio’s network download speeds at the stadiums are notably faster than those of Airtel and Vodafone Idea.
Specifically, the average download speeds for Reliance Jio within the stadiums reach 61.7 Mbps, with its 5G download speeds registering at an impressive 334.5 Mbps. This is a significant 25.5% faster than Airtel’s 5G speed of 274.5 Mbps, as per the report’s findings.
Read More: ChatGPT gets access to internet, information no longer limited to September 2021
When it comes to network-upload speeds in stadium environments, Airtel leads the way. However, Vodafone Idea is expected to deliver superior performance when it comes to over-the-top (OTT) voice services, encompassing popular mobile voice apps like WhatsApp, Skype, and Facebook Messenger. Interestingly, Airtel takes the lead in providing the best experience with voice apps on 5G networks.
According to the report, Airtel boasts average overall upload speeds of 6.6 Mbps and 5G upload speeds of 26.3 Mbps. These overall upload speeds on Airtel’s network are 5.2% higher than those of Jio, 13% higher than Vodafone Idea, and a substantial 6.1 times higher than BSNL. In the realm of 5G, Airtel’s average upload speeds are 21.7% faster than Jio.
Read More: Jio pips Airtel to gain more subscribers but Vi continues to bleed
Hardik Khatri, a senior analyst at OpenSignal, emphasises that fast download and upload speeds are beneficial only when users can connect to an active cellular signal. The report notes that Jio users can expect the highest mobile network availability and 5G availability at the stadiums, with Jio 5G users experiencing more than 50% of their time with an active 5G signal—2.6 times more than Airtel users.
Regarding the voice app experience, Vodafone Idea takes the lead with a score of 78.7, surpassing Airtel by half a point and Jio by 1.2 points. The report categorises Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea within the “acceptable” range (74-80) for voice app experience, while BSNL’s score of 70.8 points falls into the “poor” category (66-74), one rating lower than its competitors.
OpenSignal also evaluated the quality of live video streaming for users planning to watch cricket matches on their mobile phones. Airtel emerges as the dominant operator in most of the 40 cities surveyed, holding a leading position individually or jointly with other operators in 23 cities. Jio tops the list in 22 cities, while Vodafone Idea leads in 15 cities.
Khatri highlights that any operator offering the best live video experience holds a competitive advantage, particularly in a cricket-loving nation like India.
The ICC World Cup 2023 is set to kick off on October 5, hosted in India and spanning across 10 stadiums in the country.
