Our Bureau
New Delhi
India’s mobile internet speeds have increased nearly tenfold since the launch of 5G in 2022, with the country now recording more than 5.5 lakh 5G base stations and connectivity reaching every district, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday at the 10th edition of the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi.
The improvement is reflected in average mobile broadband speeds, which rose from 13.67 Mbps in March 2022 to 132 Mbps in December 2025, according to data cited by the Department of Telecommunications from Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index. At those average speeds, a 2 GB movie that could theoretically take around 20 minutes to download in 2022 would take roughly two minutes today.
The faster networks could make everyday smartphone use considerably quicker. Large applications and game updates can download in less time, while high-resolution videos, photographs and other large files can be uploaded more rapidly. Cloud backups and other data-heavy tasks can also benefit from improved speeds.
The gains are particularly visible on 5G networks. Opensignal measurements for October-December 2025 put average 5G download speeds at around 199 Mbps for Jio and 186 Mbps for Airtel, although actual speeds can differ depending on location, network congestion, device and signal strength.
India’s 5G expansion has also accelerated coverage. The Department of Telecommunications said 5G was available in 99.9% of districts by February 2026, with 5.23 lakh 5G base stations installed at the time.