India's LTE internet reach widens but 4G speed slower than Pakistan: Report

In India, the overall internet penetration might have improved but the mobile internet speed is still sluggish and ranks at the bottom rung when compared with other countries, according to a report by online speed testing platform Ookla. While the global average mobile download internet speed stood at 23.54 Mbps in June, the download speed in India was at 9.12 Mbps, slower than neighbouring countries like Pakistan (14.03 Mbps) and Sri Lanka (16.98).

OpenSignal, an online provider of insights into coverage and performance of mobile operators worldwide, in its April report highlighted that the Indian operators moved their focus on growing 4G reach than injecting more speed into their 4G services. According to the report, the overall 4G availability increased for every major operator in December-February period, and all major 4G providers, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and Jio, crossed the 65 per cent LTE availability threshold in April. However, the 4G download speed of most operators improved marginally and the India’s leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel came out on top with an average download speed on 4G at 9.31 Mbps, close to what Ookla highlighted in its June report.