India may boast the cheapest mobile internet plans in the world – but when it comes to mobile data speed, it’s lagging far behind. In fact, according to the Speedtest Global Index, India clocks in at 131out of a possible 138 in the global mobile internet speed rankings.
This goes to show that having access to more data is in no way linked to better internet speed. Around the world, the average time it takes to make a download is 35.26 megabit per second (Mbps). In India, this figure is much lower, with the average download requiring 12.07 Mbps – and its uploading figures are no more impressive. While the global average upload speed is 11.22 Mbps, people in India have to contend with speeds of just 4.31 Mbps.
To find out more about these statistics, read on. In this article, we’ll explore the Speedtest Global Index in more detail and take a closer look at how India compares to the rest of the world.
Where Has The Quickest Mobile Data Speed?
India’s average download speed of 12.07 Mbps places it at 131st spot. At the top of the list is South Korea, with an impressive 121 Mbps. Within the world’s top five, South Korea is joined by:
At the other end of the scale, India outstrips only Uganda (11.91 Mbps), Bangladesh (10.76 Mbps), Somalia (10.48 Mbps), Venezuela (9 Mbps), Sudan (8.85 Mbps), Palestine (7.71 Mbps), and Afghanistan (7.26).
India’s sluggish mobile data speed means that whether people are visiting sites like onlinerouletteindia.com or trying to watch a YouTube video, they’re likely to experience a far slower service than the majority of the rest of the world.
How Does Mobile Data Speed Vary Across India?
Although almost nowhere in India is able to boast high-speed mobile data, the statistics aren’t exactly the same all across the country. Both the geographical region and the particular mobile operator can have an impact on mobile data speeds, with some areas and providers enjoying a better streaming quality than elsewhere in India.
According to The Hindu, these are the approximate average 4G download speeds which were offered by India’s four major mobile operators in May 2019:
- Jio: 20.46 Mbps
- Airtel: Around 9.5 Mbps
- Vodafone: Around 7 Mbps
- Idea: Around 6.5 Mbps
The fastest download speed in the country can be found in the state of Bihar, where people who use the operator Jio can enjoy average speeds of 34.4 Mbps. But it’s bad news for people who use Idea in the northeast – they can expect average speeds of just 3 Mbps, less than half the efficiency of Afghanistan.
Data suggests that Airtel is actually the most efficient operator in this region, with average download speeds of 8.1 Mbps. While this is still far from impressive, it’s significantly faster than Idea’s offering.
What’s Next?
These figures show that increasing mobile data speed should be a top priority across India, particularly in the northeast. While the government’s Digital India campaign has successfully increased internet adoption and made impressively cheap mobile internet plans a reality, the lagging download speed is still a stumbling block to true online efficiency.
If this can be improved, then India will have a strong claim to some of the most accessible mobile data in the world.
