Jio Leads Mahakumbh Connectivity with 5G Speed and Coverage

New Delhi, Mar 11 (PTI) Reliance Jio led the chart in terms of median high speed and coverage followed by Airtel at the world's largest congregation at Mahakumbh 2025, broadband measurement firm Ookla said in a report on Tuesday.

Over 60 crore people visited Mahakumbh held at Prayagraj during January 13 to February 26.

"Jio led 5G performance, with a median download speed of 201.87 Mbps, followed by Airtel at 165.23 Mbps. Meanwhile, 4G networks struggled under heavy user density, with Vi India recording 4G median download speed at just 20.06 Mbps, followed by Jio (18.19 Mbps), Airtel (17.65 Mbps), and BSNL (11.64 Mbps)," the report said.

Jio's 5G Standalone (SA) network played a crucial role, efficiently managing 20 million voice calls and 400 million data service requests at peak times.

The report said that Airtel enhanced its network by deploying 287 new sites, optimizing over 340 existing ones, and laying an additional 74 kilometers of fiber in Prayagraj which contributed to maintaining strong 5G speeds despite heavy usage.

Jio reported 83.9 per cent 5G availability, nearly twice that of Airtel's 42.4 per cent, ensuring broader coverage and more consistent connectivity for users.

"The Mahakumbh 2025 in Prayagraj presented one of the most significant challenges for telecom operators, with over 660 million attendees relying on mobile connectivity. Despite the extreme demand, operators successfully maintained strong network performance through strategic infrastructure upgrades and advanced technologies," the report said.

Department of Telecommunications (DoT) had instructed telecom operators to implement extensive infrastructure enhancements which led to deployment of 328 new towers in Prayagraj.

"Additionally, 575 new Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) have been deployed, and 1,462 existing BTS units have been upgraded, as well as tens of Cells on Wheels deployed to bolster network capacity," the report said.

Telecom gear maker Ericsson had said that it collaborated with Jio to implement strategic solutions across the Jio True 5G SA network using SA features such as network slicing, carrier aggregation using 700 MHz band etc.

Indian telecom gear maker HFCL deployed around 360 wifi hotspots, designed, developed and manufactured entirely in India for its telecom operator partner in Mahakumbh area.

According to the report, the 5G download speed dropped from 259.67 Mbps in early January to 151.09 Mbps at peak congestion on January 26 but it later recovered to 206.82 Mbps by the end of the event.