Jio 5G Vs Airtel 5G: Speed, Coverage, Benefits, Plans Compared

Jio vs Airtel: Which is faster? Which are the prices? Let’s find out.

It’s been nearly four months since 5G — the next-gen telecom service that promises more-than-broadband-like Internet speeds on your smartphone — was launched in India. Among telcos, only Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have been actively rolling out 5G services across several cities. BSNL plans to launch 5G services in 2024. Vodafone Idea (Vi) isn’t as actively pursuing 5G rollout as Jio or Airtel. So, here are every aspects of Jio and Airtel’s 5G services compared.

Jio 5G vs Airtel 5G: Speed

First things first — which is faster?

ABP Live could independently verify that in Delhi-NCR, Airtel offers a download speed of nearly 900 Mbps, and an upload speed of at least 60 Mbps. Airtel’s median download speed ranges between 365-716 Mbps. 

While we weren’t able to verify Jio 5G speeds, multiple media reports, including that of speed test service Ookla, the telco offers a median download speed ranging between 605-875 Mbps. 

Jio 5G vs Airtel 5G: Coverage

Back when 5G was launched in October 2022, Jio rolled out its 5G services in four cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Varanasi. Airtel, on the other hand rolled out its 5G services in eight cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Nagpur, and Varanasi. 

However, as time passed, both the telcos actively offered 5G coverage in more cities and states, including the likes of Odisha and Rajasthan. Currently over 50 cities can access 5G services across the country.

Jio promised that it will cover the entire country in terms of 5G coverage by the end of this year. Airtel, on the other hand, expects its 5G rollout to be complete by 2024.

Jio 5G vs Airtel 5G: Plans

Neither Jio nor Airtel has announced any dedicated 5G plans. This means that you can continue using already existing plans, with access to 5G speeds. However, there’s a small catch with Jio.

If you’re an Airtel user and have a 5G-enabled phone, you can access 5G services without having to pay any extra amount.

But, if you are a Jio user with an eligible 5G handset, you need to have a valid active plan of at least Rs 239 or above to be able to access 5G speeds.

Jio 5G vs Airtel 5g: Benefits

In terms of benefits, there are no differences between Jio and Airtel’s 5G services. This is primarily because both telcos are currently at their initial stages of 5G rollout. Once 5G coverage is complete across India, the telcos might decide to offer some paid-for benefits such as added OTT subscriptions, better speeds, etc. However, nothing of that sort has been announced as of yet.