Bharti Airtel has emerged as India’s leading home internet provider in Opensignal’s November 2026 India Fixed Broadband Experience report, outperforming Reliance Jio and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) across all five measured experience categories. The report places Airtel ahead in reliability, consistent quality, download speed, upload speed and video experience.
Airtel also secured the top position in all five Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) experience categories, beating Jio in a separate comparison of wireless home broadband services.
The findings are notable because Reliance Jio continues to lead Airtel in the number of fixed broadband subscribers. They highlight the difference between the size of a broadband customer base and the experience customers receive when using a connection.
However, there is an important date to consider. Opensignal’s November report is based on real-world measurements collected between April 1 and June 29, 2026. These are not live broadband speed measurements from November.
Airtel Leads Jio and BSNL Across Five Broadband Measures
Opensignal evaluated the home broadband experience of customers using five major measures. Airtel won all five Overall Home Internet Experience awards, placing it ahead of Jio and BSNL in the national comparison.
The five categories cover different aspects of how a household experiences its internet connection.
| Experience measure | Leading provider | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Reliability | Airtel | Ability to connect and complete everyday online activities without interruptions |
| Consistent Quality | Airtel | Share of tests meeting the required performance thresholds |
| Download Speed | Airtel | Average speed when receiving data |
| Upload Speed | Airtel | Average speed when sending data |
| Video Experience | Airtel | Quality of video streaming and playback |
Airtel’s advantage was particularly noticeable in reliability and speed. Its lead over Jio in Consistent Quality and Video Experience was narrower.
Airtel Records 486 Points in Broadband Reliability
Reliability was one of Airtel’s strongest areas in the report. The operator recorded 486 points on Opensignal’s 100 to 1,000-point scale.
Reliance Jio scored 423 points, while BSNL recorded 419 points. Airtel therefore led Jio by 63 points and BSNL by 67 points.
The reliability measure looks beyond whether a broadband connection is available. It assesses whether households can connect and successfully complete everyday activities, including tasks that require a stable connection across multiple devices.
For people working from home, attending online classes or using video calls, a reliable connection can be just as important as a high advertised download speed.
Airtel Leads on Consistent Quality and Video Experience
Airtel also secured the top position in Consistent Quality and Video Experience.
Consistent Quality is particularly relevant because broadband performance is not determined by download speed alone. Latency, jitter, packet loss and other network conditions can affect how smoothly applications work.
A connection may deliver high speeds in a speed test but still perform inconsistently during video calls, online gaming or other real-time activities.
Airtel’s advantage in these two categories was narrower than its lead in reliability and speed. This suggests that the difference between the operators was less pronounced for these aspects of the home internet experience.
Airtel and BSNL Are Close on Broadband Speeds
The speed comparison also produced an interesting result for BSNL. Although Airtel topped the rankings, BSNL came close to it in both download and upload speeds.
The reported overall average speeds were:
| Operator | Download speed | Upload speed |
|---|---|---|
| Airtel | 38.4 Mbps | 26.7 Mbps |
| BSNL | 37.9 Mbps | 25.9 Mbps |
| Reliance Jio | 30.5 Mbps | 21.0 Mbps |
Airtel’s download speed was just 0.5 Mbps higher than BSNL’s, while the upload speed difference was 0.8 Mbps.
Jio recorded lower average speeds than both operators in this comparison. Airtel’s download and upload speeds were approximately 26% to 27% higher than Jio’s.
These figures are useful for understanding the national results, but they should not be treated as guaranteed speeds for every subscriber. Actual performance depends on the connection technology, subscribed plan, network conditions and location.
Airtel Also Wins All Five Fixed Wireless Broadband Measures
The report separately examined Fixed Wireless Access, or FWA, which delivers home broadband through a wireless network rather than a dedicated wired connection to the premises.
Airtel won all five FWA experience awards against Jio. The comparison covered download speed, upload speed, reliability, consistent quality and video experience.
Some of the reported FWA results are particularly notable:
| FWA measure | Airtel | Jio |
|---|---|---|
| Download speed | 32.4 Mbps | 25.7 Mbps |
| Upload speed | 20.7 Mbps | 17.1 Mbps |
| Consistent Quality | 66.2% | 55.0% |
| Reliability | 450 points | 382 points |
| Video Experience | Winner | Behind Airtel |
Airtel’s FWA download speed was 6.7 Mbps higher than Jio’s, while its upload speed was 3.6 Mbps higher.
The difference in Consistent Quality was 11.2 percentage points. Airtel also recorded an FWA reliability score of 450 points, compared with 382 points for Jio.
This is an important distinction: Airtel’s overall home broadband results and its separate FWA results are two different comparisons. The overall category covers the broader fixed broadband experience, while the FWA category focuses on wireless home internet.
Jio Still Leads in Broadband Subscriber Numbers
Airtel’s performance advantage in the Opensignal report does not mean it has the largest home broadband customer base.
Jio continues to hold a substantial lead in subscriber numbers. TRAI data for August 2026, cited in the report’s market overview, puts the operators’ fixed wired broadband subscriber bases at approximately:
| Operator | Fixed wired broadband subscribers |
|---|---|
| Reliance Jio | 14.8 million |
| Bharti Airtel | 11.4 million |
| BSNL | 4.56 million |
Jio’s lead is also visible in the fixed wireless market. It accounted for approximately 9.4 million of India’s 13.5 million 5G FWA subscriptions in August 2026.
This shows why subscriber numbers and network experience should be assessed separately. Jio has a larger customer base, but Airtel performed better across the experience measures included in Opensignal’s study.
A larger subscriber base indicates market reach and adoption. It does not automatically mean that the operator delivers higher average speeds or more consistent performance.
Wired Broadband and 5G AirFiber Are Not the Same
One of the most important aspects of this report is the distinction between wired broadband and Fixed Wireless Access.
Traditional wired broadband services such as Airtel Xstream Fiber, JioFiber and BSNL Bharat Fiber use a physical connection to deliver internet to a home. Fibre connections generally offer a dedicated last-mile link, although performance still depends on the operator’s network and the subscribed plan.
FWA services such as Airtel Xstream AirFiber and JioAirFiber use wireless connectivity, typically through a 5G network, to deliver home internet. They can help operators reach locations where laying fibre is difficult, expensive or time-consuming.
However, FWA performance is more directly influenced by radio conditions, signal strength, network capacity and congestion. The experience can also vary depending on the placement of the home device.
The two technologies therefore serve different deployment requirements. A customer choosing between fibre and FWA should consider local availability and actual performance rather than relying only on a national ranking.
Why the Opensignal Report Matters for Indian Broadband Users
India’s fixed broadband market is expanding, with both wired connections and FWA services contributing to growth.
TRAI data cited in the report showed that India had around 48.6 million fixed wired broadband subscriptions and 19.3 million FWA subscriptions at the end of August 2026.
FWA subscriptions grew faster during August, increasing by 2.7%, compared with 1% growth in fixed wired broadband subscriptions.
This makes the experience comparison increasingly relevant. Operators are not competing only on the number of homes they can connect. They also need to maintain stable speeds and reliable service as their customer bases expand.
Airtel’s performance in the report is particularly interesting given its stated focus on expanding fibre connectivity and using FWA in locations where fibre is not practical. Jio, meanwhile, has built a substantial presence in the FWA market through JioAirFiber.
How Opensignal Conducted the Study
Opensignal’s November 2026 India Fixed Broadband Experience report is based on real-world user measurements collected over a 90-day period, from April 1 to June 29, 2026.
The analysis covers five experience measures: Reliability, Consistent Quality, Download Speed, Upload Speed and Video Experience. It also provides a separate assessment of Fixed Wireless Access.
The report evaluates the experience customers receive while using broadband services rather than relying only on the maximum speeds advertised in operators’ plans.
It is also important to consider that broadband plans differ between providers. Speed tiers, data limits and the mix of customers using different plans can influence the average results. Consequently, the national figures do not guarantee that every Airtel subscriber will experience faster internet than every Jio or BSNL subscriber.
The results should be read as a comparison of measured customer experience during the study period, not as a real-time ranking of every broadband connection in India.
Airtel Wins on Experience, While Jio Retains Its Scale Advantage
Opensignal’s November 2026 report gives Airtel a clear win in India’s measured home broadband experience. The operator topped all five overall categories and also secured all five FWA awards against Jio.
BSNL’s performance is another notable part of the findings. It came very close to Airtel in average download and upload speeds, despite having a considerably smaller wired broadband subscriber base.
Jio, however, continues to lead in subscriber numbers, particularly in the fixed wireless market.
For consumers, the report offers a useful national comparison, but the best broadband provider will still depend on the availability and quality of service at a particular address. A local fibre connection may outperform a wireless service even when the national averages suggest otherwise.
The broader takeaway is that broadband competition in India is increasingly about consistent everyday performance, not just subscriber additions or advertised speed.
