5G can potentially raise median download speed by up to 10 times: Ookla

Broadband speed measuring firm Ookla on Thursday projected that the launch of 5G network in India has the potential to increase the median download speeds by up to 10 times from the current position.

The estimates cited by Ookla are based on the findings from other markets in Asia that have recently launched 5G.

Thailand and the Philippines both launched 5G in the first half of 2020. The speed difference between 4G and 5G in the Asian market was on average approximately 9-10 times in the second quarter of 2021, the Ookla Insight report said.

However, the report cautions that it is impossible to predict exact speed of 5G for the average Indian user, given uncertainty over exact spectrum allocations and rollout plans (including the radio access network and improvements to backhaul and transport networks), but it is safe to say 5G will bring a considerable bump to overall speeds in the country.

According to Ookla, Jio's data speed performance has more than doubled since March 2021.

"The operator's (Jio) median download speeds have increased from 5.96 Mbps in March 2021 to 13.08 Mbps in June. Its upload speeds and consistency score also saw considerable improvements," the report said.

According to Ookla, as of June 2021, 64.5 per cent of 4G users in India could expect to achieve download speeds in excess of 5 Mbps -- the speed required to stream HD video content.