Jio 5G vs Airtel 5G Comparison: Bands Supported, Data Speeds, Available Cities, Device Support And More

5G has finally come to India, well at least in some cities. Jio and Airtel have launched their respective 5G services that are available in the top tier cities for now. Both the telcos announced their 5G network at the India Mobile Congress 2022 earlier this month. Both the operators have taken a different approach with their 5G services, wherein Jio has a focused strategy on offering good speeds in density, while Airtel has picked up the 5G spectrum in equal doses.

But it is time to put Jio 5G against Airtel 5G and compare their technology, the bands they offer, the devices supported on these networks so far, and yes, what kind of speeds people have reported in just October.

Also Read: Airtel 5G: Launch in India, 5G Speed Test, Availability in 8 Cities, Spectrum, and More

Jio 5G vs Airtel 5G: Which Bands Are Available

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 Bands Support

• N28 (700MHz)
• N78 (3300MHz)
• N258 (26GHz)

Airtel 5G Bands Support

• N8(900MHz)
• N3(1800MHz)
• N1(2100MHz)
• N78(3300MHz)
• N258(26GHz)

Jio 5G vs Airtel 5G: Availability & Coverage

Now that you know about the 5G bands supported by Jio 5G and Airtel 5G, it is time to learn about the cities where both these telcos are providing their 5G services right now.

Jio 5G City Availability: Currently, Jio 5G can be used via a beta trial which is available in four cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Varanasi. Jio plans to expand its reach to more cities by the end of this year and take it to PAN India by the end of 2023.

Airtel 5G City Availability: Airtel 5G has launched in 8 cities that include Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Varanasi and Gurugram. Airtel also plans to take its 5G network PAN India by the end of 2023.

Also Read: Jio 5G: Launch in India, 5G Speed Test, Trials, Spectrum, and More

Jio 5G vs Airtel 5G: Data Speeds Offered

Jio 5G and Airtel 5G have already been put through speed tests by select users who managed to experience 5G on their compatible devices. As per Ookla’s report, Jio 5G has reported a median speed of 600Mbps, while Airtel 5G has scored 516Mbps to date. In a city like Delhi, Jio 5G seems to have the upper hand, thanks to a median speed of around 600Mbps, while Airtel 5G got 200Mbps at best.

These significant speed differences were expected since Jio and Airtel have adopted different 5G architectures for their network. Jio 5G runs on standalone architecture, allowing the telco to push better 5G coverage and data speeds. While Airtel 5G relies on its existing 4G infrastructure to boost its 5G coverage, which is always going to fall short compared to the former. And these speed tests make the difference quite evident.

Also Read: Airtel Recharge Plans: Airtel New Recharge Plan and Offers List with Validity, Data, Unlimited Calling

Jio 5G vs Airtel 5G: How is the network quality

The other important aspect of 5G services is the spectrum bands acquired by both these telcos. Jio 5G has the elusive 700MHz under its wing, along with 3300MHz and 26GHz. The most important of these is the 700MHz which was only bought by Jio during the 5G spectrum auctions. It is an expensive frequency but delivers high data speeds in dense areas and even indoors as well.

Airtel has a mix of spectrum bands ranging from 900MHz to 26GHz, but since Airtel hasn’t bought any spectrum in the 700MHz segment, it will be lagging in terms of speed and network quality as well.

Also Read: Jio Recharge Plans and Offers: Jio New Prepaid Recharge Plan Price List with Talktime, Validity, 4G Data Benefits

Jio 5G vs Airtel 5G: Devices supported

Now comes the most important part for the consumers, which phones can run the Jio 5G and the Airtel 5G network? To make your lives easier, we have compiled a list of smartphones that will work on these 5G services.

Jio 5G Device Support List

Airtel 5G Device Support List

As you can see here, Apple and Samsung have a lot of devices that still don’t support 5G in India, but the company is going to release a software update by mid-November and December, respectively to make them 5G compatible in the country.