Archive · 8 Oct 2026
India’s Mobile Internet Speeds Rise Tenfold Since 5G Launch
India’s prime minister said phone internet is much faster than it was when 5G began in 2022.
The average mobile download speed rose from 13.67 Mbps in March 2022 to 132 Mbps in December 2025, according to the Department of Telecommunications.
At those speeds, a 2 GB movie might take about two minutes to download instead of 20.
That is only an estimate, though.
Your actual speed depends on where you are, your signal, the network’s busyness, the server and your phone.
Opensignal also measured average 5G speeds of about 199 Mbps on Jio and 186 Mbps on Airtel.
Faster internet can also help apps update, videos upload and photo backups finish sooner.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said mobile internet speeds have increased tenfold since 5G launched in India in 2022.
The Department of Telecommunications cited average mobile broadband download speeds rising from 13.67 Mbps in March 2022 to 132 Mbps in December 2025.
At those average speeds, a 2 GB movie could theoretically take about two minutes to download, down from around 20 minutes.
Opensignal measured average 5G download speeds of about 199 Mbps on Jio and 186 Mbps on Airtel in October–December 2025.
Real-world speeds and download times vary with network, signal, congestion, server and device.
- Who
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Department of Telecommunications.
- What
- Modi said mobile internet speeds in India have risen tenfold since 5G services launched; cited figures show average speeds rising from 13.67 Mbps to 132 Mbps.
- When
- Modi made the remarks on Thursday at the 10th India Mobile Congress; the comparison is between March 2022 and December 2025.
- Where
- The India Mobile Congress was held at Yashobhoomi in New Delhi.
- Why
- To describe the expansion and increased speed of mobile internet since India launched 5G in 2022.
Headline speed estimates
Real-world limitations
What faster speeds can mean
Headline speed estimates
The reported increase could make downloads, app and game updates, video uploads and cloud backups faster.
Real-world limitations
The download-time examples are theoretical; actual results vary by network, signal strength, congestion, server and device.
- 5G launch
- India launched 5G services in 2022.
- Base stations
- Modi said more than 5.5 lakh base stations were operating 5G networks in India.
- Average speed in March 2022
- 13.67 Mbps mobile broadband download speed.
- Average speed in December 2025
- 132 Mbps mobile broadband download speed, based on Ookla's Speedtest Global Index.
- Illustrative 2 GB download
- About 20 minutes at 13.67 Mbps versus about two minutes at 132 Mbps; theoretical estimates.
- Jio 5G speed
- About 199 Mbps average download speed, measured by Opensignal in October–December 2025.
- Airtel 5G speed
- About 186 Mbps average download speed, measured by Opensignal in October–December 2025.