Fixed wireless access (FWA) is playing a growing role in expanding broadband connectivity in India, with subscriptions rising by over a third in 2025 to reach 7.4 million by May, according to TRAI.
@Freepik
Jio dominates the FWA market with 6 million subscribers and a 79 percent share, but Airtel is rapidly closing the gap with a 77 percent increase in its user base compared to Jio’s 21 percent growth.
The latest Opensignal report said Airtel is outperforming Jio on key fixed wireless performance metrics, benefiting from lower congestion and better network optimization. This performance gap is consistent in wireline broadband as well, where Airtel leads in four out of five experience categories, while Jio shows better results only in Consistent Quality, with a significantly higher score on wireline compared to its own FWA service.
Airtel’s FWA offers download speed of 40.7 Mbps as compared with Reliance Jio’s 28.6 Mbps.
Airtel’s FWA offers upload speed of 29.8 Mbps as compared with Reliance Jio’s 16.3 Mbps.
Reliance Jio is aggressively scaling its FWA network with the aim of connecting one million homes each month. It offers a Rs999 monthly plan with 150 Mbps download speed and bundled access to 15 OTT platforms, using both licensed 5G and unlicensed 5GHz spectrum, supported by 5G standalone architecture and network slicing. Despite its infrastructure investments, Jio continues to trail Airtel in user experience.
Airtel’s FWA strategy focuses on delivering high-tier plans, including a Rs899 plan with 100 Mbps, bundled TV and OTT content, and premium options with Netflix and Prime. The operator is leveraging mmWave spectrum to enhance capacity and offering free customer premises equipment (CPE) installation to reduce onboarding friction.
Both operators have around 7.7 million wireline subscribers, yet their strategies differ.
Airtel’s wireline broadband offers download speed of 42.4 Mbps as compared with BSNL’s 37.5 Mbps and Reliance Jio’s 31.1 Mbps.
Airtel’s wireline broadband offers upload speed of 31.6 Mbps as compared with BSNL’s 26.1 Mbps and Reliance Jio’s 25.1 Mbps.
India’s regional fiber-based providers are also seeing strong performance. Excitel is winning recognition for its wireline services in Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, and Karnataka, with high Consistent Quality scores and download speeds above 88 Mbps.
GTPL, which has transitioned from legacy cable to fiber, is achieving modest success in Gujarat but lags behind in performance compared to national operators. As legacy cable TV declines, fiber and FWA are emerging as dominant technologies, particularly as OTT platforms gain wider adoption.
BSNL has soft-launched 5G FWA services in Hyderabad and plans to expand to several more cities by September 2025. Meanwhile, Vi is rolling out 5G mobile in its top 17 circles but remains absent from the fixed broadband segment due to ongoing financial challenges. Across operators, wide variations in plan speeds, data caps, and bundling influence the average customer experience.
Opensignal’s measurements, based on real-world usage from February to May 2025, highlight the growing impact of FWA and fiber in shaping broadband performance across India, with Airtel emerging as the clear leader in user experience and Jio maintaining its lead in overall subscriber numbers.
Baburajan Kizhakedath
