Researchers may be evaluating how best to implement 5G in an efficient and economically viable format, but in the meantime India is still catching up with 4G.
To that end, it seems we¡¯re doing pretty great, especially the ¡°City of Joy¡±.
According to a new report by mobile analytics company OpenSignal, Kolkata is actually leading the 4G charge. In a 4G availability survey across India¡¯s 22 telecom circles, the city has stolen the lead over not just the rest of India, but even international metros like Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur.
¡°Kolkata is India¡¯s top region for 4G availability, being the only circle in the country with a hugely impressive LTE availability score of over 90 percent,¡± OpenSignal CEO Brendan Gill told Economic Times.?
This is quite a feat, considering the rest of India isn¡¯t lagging too far behind. OpenSignal says the other 21 telecom circles in India have by and large crossed the 80 percent threshold in 4G availability. This is despite the fact that we¡¯ve only had 4G since 2012. Take a minute to let that soak in.
Just to be clear, this doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that 90.7 percent of people in Kolkata have 4G connections, after all that depends on other factors like financial income. What it does mean however is that 90 percent of the city has access to 4G if the people there so choose. It¡¯s basically 90 percent coverage. Close behind Kolkata is Punjab with 89.8 percent 4G availability, followed by Bihar at 89.2 percent, Madhya Pradesh with 89.1 percent, and Orissa with 89 percent. Other major metros like Mumbai and New Delhi were much further behind, with 86.65 percent and 86.73 percent respectively.
If it wasn¡¯t already clear, you can thank Reliance Jio for this uptick in 4G services. Not that the company is single-handedly carrying India along the 4G path on its back, not by far. However, it¡¯s dynamic entry into the scene two years sparked a tariff war between the major telcos that turned the mobile internet system on its head.?
Two years ago you would have paid Rs 300 - 400 for a few GB of data in a month. Now, that same amount would probably get you 1GB a day for perhaps two months or more.
Unfortunately, while 4G availability has improved, India¡¯s mobile internet speeds remain somewhat stagnant. We¡¯re still stuck at a national average of about 6.1 Mbps, far from the global average of 17 Mbps. It¡¯s not surprising considering the density of population in metropolitan areas, where tens of thousands of users are fighting for the same bandwidth.