India’s fixed broadband space has unmistakable momentum, led by Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and BSNL, heading into 2027. The latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data estimates there were 48.6 million fixed wired broadband subscriptions and 19.3 million fixed wireless access (FWA) subscriptions at the end of August 2026, a growth of 10% year-on-year. Interestingly, much of the momentum comes from the FWA technology for new connections, even though wired still accounts for more than 70% of the total base.
Amid this momentum, network data analytics platform Opensignal published a new report on Wednesday evaluating India’s fixed broadband landscape and noted that Airtel is leading the competition in reliability, consistent experience, speeds, and video playback across wired broadband and FWA.
“Airtel has India’s Best Home Internet as it won every Overall award outright: Reliability, Consistent Quality, Download Speed, Upload Speed and Video. Its lead is broadest on reliability and speed, where it is15% ahead of Jio on Reliability and 26-27% faster on download and upload speed, while its margins on Consistent Quality and Video are narrower,” Mohamed Abbas, principal analyst at Opensignal, said in the report.
The Opensignal National Fixed Broadband Experience report for India for November said Airtel’s wired broadband connections recorded an average download speed of 38.4 Megabit per second (Mbps), ahead of BSNL (37.9Mbps) and Reliance Jio (30.5Mbps). In upload speeds as well, Airtel leads with 26.7Mbps, while BSNL (25.9Mbps) follows closely. Reliance Jio’s broadband connections delivered 21.0Mbps upload speeds.
To be sure, because the analysis focuses on consumer broadband experiences, differences in user-selected plans and speed caps will affect the numbers. Not all users subscribe to the same broadband tariff plan.
Reliance Jio’s average download and upload speeds being lower in this comparative scenario doesn’t necessarily mean it is a worse network to work with—it could be an indicator that more customers have opted for the lower-priced broadband plans that offer speeds up to 30Mbps across both technologies, while Airtel has a greater share of subscribers on higher-speed (and also higher-priced) plans such as 100Mbps or more.
FWA technology, which relies on the 5G mobile network to deliver home broadband without connecting individual homes or premises with fibre optic cables, is slightly more complex because evolving network variables often dictate the experience. It can deliver 5G experience but is also prone to network congestion variables.
Airtel scores higher than Jio in reliability (450 points versus 382; out of a total of 1000) and consistent quality. Opensignal noted the reliability experience is measured by the ability of a household to connect to the internet and to successfully complete ‘uninterrupted’ tasks across multiple devices, encompassing work and recreational activities.
The Opensignal report said Airtel leads Jio in download speeds on FWA connections by quite some margin—32.4Mbps versus 25.7Mbps for the latter. A fair gap also exists in upload speeds, with Airtel at 20.7Mbps ahead of Jio at 17.1Mbps.
“Jio dominates FWA. Its JioAirFiber service passed 14 million subscribers at the end of June 2026, roughly half of the company’s 28.6 million fixed broadband customers, and it accounted for more than 75% of Jio’s fixed broadband additions over the preceding 12 months,” Abbas said.
“Airtel added a record around 8 million fibre home passes in FY2025-26 through its own build and LCO partnerships.”
Opensignal noted that while Airtel, Jio, and BSNL have a national footprint, the landscape is much more competitive in pockets. “Beyond the three largest national providers, there is a long tail of regional ISPs, including ACT, Kerala Vision, Excitel, GTPL, Hathway, Alliance, Asianet and Netplus. These providers compete largely through fibre-based broadband services, with several leveraging partnerships with local cable operators (LCOs) and existing cable infrastructure to extend their reach,” said Abbas in the report.