Reliance is yet to launch its Jio GigaFiber broadband service in full glory but it’s already topping the charts of various internet speed charts.
While Open Signal is yet to credit them with the laurel, the Netflix ISP Speed Index report for October 2018 puts them at the top spot in the country, with the more popular Airtel lying in fourth position.
Interestingly, the leading broadband player in India, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited or BSNL is nowhere in the top 10 with its internet speed., ranked at number 13 as per the Netflix ISP Speed Index for October 2018.
The report is quick to state that the speeds indicated is not a measure of the maximum throughout or the maximum capacity of the particular internet service provider (ISP).
Jio GigaFiber’s speed stands at 3.48 Mbps, which is marginally faster than Airtel’s 3.10 Mbps but in between these two, you have players like 7-Star Digital and Spectra as well. BSNL, ranked 13 managed to score 2.13 Mbps, which is more than an Mbps slower than Jio’s broadband speed.
It does help that Jio GigaFiber is a 100 percent fiber optics entity, while others are offering both fiber and cable services.
The numbers might be slightly misleading as Jio GigaFiber hasn’t rolled out in all parts of the country. Giving them access to a smaller group of users, which tends to result in faster speed in low-density conditions.
BSNL has somehow hung on to its leadership in the segment, primarily because of its affiliation with government-run projects. But it wouldn’t be a shock to see Jio surpass both BSNL and Airtel once it achieves its target of connecting over 1100 cities in the country.
For which, Reliance has gone to the extent of buying two mid-range internet providers; Den Network and Hathaway.
As you can see here, Jio GigaFiber speeds have been recorded from October onwards, giving them the benefit of going full-throttle with its capability. This is something we saw when Jio launched its 4G mobile service two years back.
The Netflix ISP Speed Index lists the average prime time bitrate for Netflix content streamed to Netflix members during a particular month. For ‘Prime Time’, we calculate the average bitrate of Netflix content in megabits per second (Mbps) streamed by Netflix members per ISP. We measure the speed via all available end user devices.
In a country like India, where the density of users is high, Jio will have to ramp up its technology and back-end support, that could take a lot of time. Which is why many experts believe that unlike its growth in mobile, competing in the broadband space will be a different ball game.
Pricing is where the game will be won. Jio’s imminent launch has forced other broadband players to lower down their plans, and offer additional data (even remove fair usage policy) just to retain its existing users.
Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance has targeted 50 million users for Jio GigaFiber at the earliest and rest assured the company will do everything to get people on board. All this means cheaper internet plans, more data and more streaming for the consumers.
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