Since the official launch of 5G India at the IMC 2022, major telcos of India, Airtel and Jio, have started rolling out their services in the country. Airtel has introduced its 5G services, dubbed the Airtel 5G Plus, in eight Indian cities so far, while Jio is currently offering its Jio True 5G services via its invite-only Welcome Offer program in only four cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Varanasi.
Both telcos have made huge claims regarding the benefits of 5G and how significantly better it is than 4G. In this article, we’ll pit Airtel 5G and Jio 5G services against each other to see their respective speed, availability, eligibility, tariffs, and more.
Jio and Airtel have had their fair share of real-world speed tests since the initial 5G launch. According to a report by Ookla, Jio 5G managed to touch download speeds of 600Mbps in a test conducted in Delhi. Airtel 5G, on the other hand, provided a peak speed of 516Mbps in Varanasi¹.
Airtel and Jio both have rolled out 5G services in a few cities as part of their initial rollout plan. Airtel 5G services are currently available in eight Indian cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Siliguri, Nagpur, and Varanasi. Jio 5G services are available only in four cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Varanasi.
As far as other regions are concerned, Jio might have an edge over Airtel as it claims to cover the entire country with 5G by the end of December 2023. Airtel’s 5G rollout isn’t expected to complete until 2024 in all regions.
Neither Airtel nor Jio have come up with dedicated 5G plans for users.
What are some other differences between Jio True 5G and Airtel 5G Plus?
Some other differences between Jio True 5G and Airtel 5G Plus include the bands they support. Reliance Jio and Airtel have a differentiated plan with their 5G services in India, and this is fairly reflected in the bands supported by both these telcos on smartphones for users. Jio 5G supports N28 (700MHz), N78 (3300MHz), and N258 (26GHz) bands while Airtel 5G supports N8 (900MHz), N3 (1800MHz), N1 (2100MHz), N78 (3300MHz), and N258 (26GHz) bands.
Another difference is their approach to 5G services. Jio has a focused strategy on offering good speeds in density, while Airtel has picked up the 5G spectrum in equal doses.
Jio has branded its 5G as 'True 5G' while Airtel has branded its 5G as '5G Plus'. These are not technical terms but only branding plays from the operators.
What are some other features of Jio True 5G?
Some features of Jio True 5G include lightning-fast data speeds, deep indoor 5G coverage, and indigenous 5G technology. Jio's standalone 5G network allows users to download ultra high-definition movies in seconds, stream live events and concerts, and do much more. Jio True 5G's 700 MHz spectrum band ensures users enjoy the best 5G experiences whether in the office, home, or any indoor location. Jio True 5G is a globally competitive home-grown 5G solution that is purely made in India by Indians for the unique digital needs of India.
Jio has used stand-alone 5G architecture to launch its 5G services, which has no dependency on the 4G network. The True 5G services have been launched across 700 MHz, 3500 MHz, and 26 GHz bands. The True 5G services of Reliance Jio offer 1 Gbps speed to all cities where it is available.
What are some other features of Airtel 5G Plus?
Some features of Airtel 5G Plus include superfast speeds, high-quality streaming, and virtual reality gaming. Airtel 5G Plus provides speeds that are up to 30x faster than Airtel 4G. This allows users to download HD and 4K videos, games, and large files all in just a few seconds. Users can also stream high-quality videos without buffering and step into virtual worlds to experience new-age gaming with augmented reality and virtual reality.
Airtel 5G Plus also enables a sharp increase in the amount of available bandwidth, which allows users to connect to a higher number of devices such as smartwatches, smart home solutions, smart appliances, location trackers, and much more simultaneously in comparison to Airtel 4G.