Airtel Tops Opensignal India Broadband Rankings in Speed and Reliability
Bharti Airtel has secured the leading position among Indian home broadband providers in Opensignal's November 2026 India Fixed Broadband Experience report, finishing first across all five measured overall categories. The network analytics assessment evaluated the real-world connection performance of consumers subscribed to Airtel, Reliance Jio, and state-run BSNL. The evaluation encompasses five distinct parameters: reliability experience, consistent quality, download speed, upload speed, and video streaming quality. Airtel also achieved first place across the Fixed Wireless Access segment, demonstrating measured performance across both traditional wired broadband infrastructure and wireless connectivity.
Fixed Broadband Speed and Reliability Metrics
In the reliability category, which assesses connection accessibility on a 100 to 1,000 scale, Airtel registered 486 points, outpacing Jio at 423 points and BSNL at 419 points. Airtel also took the top rank in Consistent Quality, measuring how reliably a home connection handles daily digital tasks without disruptive interruptions. Speed comparisons revealed close competition between Airtel and BSNL across both transmission directions. Airtel delivered an average download speed of 38.4 Mbps, finishing narrowly ahead of BSNL at 37.9 Mbps and Jio at 30.5 Mbps. Its average upload throughput reached 26.7 Mbps, followed by BSNL at 25.9 Mbps and Jio at 21 Mbps. Airtel also led the video streaming assessment, reflecting stronger recorded performance when subscribers stream digital video at home.
Fixed Wireless Access Performance and Market Standing
The evaluation extended into Fixed Wireless Access, a technology transmitting home internet via wireless mobile towers rather than physical fiber cables. Airtel outperformed Reliance Jio across all five FWA categories, registering an average download speed of 32.4 Mbps and an upload rate of 20.7 Mbps. Jio recorded comparable FWA speeds of 25.7 Mbps for downloads and 17.1 Mbps for uploads. In FWA reliability, Airtel attained 450 points against 382 points for Jio. Airtel achieved an FWA Consistent Quality score of 66.2%, while Jio recorded 55%, indicating that nearly two-thirds of Airtel tests cleared quality thresholds compared to just over half for Jio. These findings position Airtel ahead in measured FWA experience, though Jio maintains a larger subscriber presence in the fixed wireless market. Airtel India chief executive Shashwat Sharma said on an earnings call that low entry-level pricing had brought higher churn and weaker continuity in certain customer cohorts, according to Light Reading. In FY2025-26, Airtel added approximately 8 million fibre home passes through internal builds and local cable operator partnerships, and Opensignal said limiting the load on its fixed wireless network may be part of how Airtel intends to keep its lead.
National Subscriber Landscape and Broadband Evolution
The report highlights the accelerating adoption of wireless solutions to expand residential internet penetration across the country. According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India figures cited by Opensignal, India recorded 48.6 million wired broadband subscriptions and 19.3 million FWA connections at the end of August 2026. Within the wired broadband sector, Jio recorded 14.8 million accounts, while Airtel counted 11.4 million and BSNL retained 4.6 million. The findings underline shifting market dynamics where fiber buildouts and wireless home broadband serve complementary roles in national connectivity. Airtel's Homes business reached 14.7 million customers at the end of June 2026, adding 473,000 customers during the quarter as home broadband revenue grew 33% year on year, according to FoneArena.