OpenSignal’s Global 5G Awards 2025: A Snapshot
OpenSignal has released its Global 5G Awards for 2025, based on data gathered from January through June. The awards assess speed, coverage, and reliability of 5G networks around the world, revealing a landscape where India’s major operators—Jio, Airtel, and Vi—did not secure top positions this year. The findings also spotlight regional leaders who consistently deliver faster, more reliable 5G experiences in their markets.
India: Where do Jio, Airtel, and Vi stand?
For Indian consumers, the 2025 awards underscore a gap between local performance expectations and global leaders. OpenSignal’s methodology emphasizes real-world experience—speed is important, but coverage density, latency, and reliability ultimately shape everyday use. While Indian operators continue to expand 5G deployments, the absence of a top ranking signals ongoing challenges such as spectrum allocation, mid-band deployment maturity, and device ecosystem readiness. The takeaway for users is that even with strong subscriber bases, the fastest, most consistent 5G experiences are occurring in other markets, and India’s path to catching up hinges on continued network densification and strategic spectrum use.
Global leaders and regional highlights
Across the globe, leaders vary by market size and network strategy. In large-country markets, the pace and performance of 5G networks differ markedly from those in smaller economies, and several players stand out for their speeds and consistency.
Large countries and top performers
In large-market contexts, the study highlights Vivo’s performance as a standout among the speeds achieved. The 5G download speeds in these markets reach notable levels, with Vivo posting an average around 362.1 Mbps in the measured large-country corridors. The Brazilian market also shows strong competition at the country level, with Claro and TIM among the leaders in their own right when looking at market-specific performance.
Small markets and surprising strengths
In smaller markets, the Korean operator KT tops with an impressive average speed, reaching about 470.7 Mbps. This demonstrates how targeted spectrum strategy and dense coverage can yield outsized gains in mid-sized and smaller economies, where less congestion and clever spectrum use can translate into higher perceived speeds for users.
Europe and Asia: new momentum
The awards also capture momentum in Europe and Asia. In Poland, multiple operators—T-Mobile, Play, and Orange—combined forces to drive a 5G performance surge, helping the country move up the ranks with a notable 140.7 Mbps improvement in measured speeds. In the Netherlands, Odido leads in smaller-area performance with a strong 151.1 Mbps reading, highlighting how regional players can outperform larger incumbents in specific metrics.
Singapore and regional players
Singapore presents an intriguing mix of strength in both large and small-area scenarios. In expansive coverage, the U.S.-based T-Mobile tops the large-area rankings with a solid comparative score, while in dense, smaller-area contexts, Singtel demonstrates rapid gains. Local players such as M1, StarHub, and Simba also earn recognition, underscoring Singapore’s highly competitive 5G environment driven by dense urban deployment and advanced network planning.
Gaming and video experiences: a closer look
OpenSignal also tracks user experience for gaming and video streaming. In this arena, Singaporean operators and Japan’s AU (KDDI) share prominent roles. In large-area gaming/video scores, AU leads with a score of 91.9, while in smaller-area contexts Singtel secures the top spot with a score of 92.9. This reflects how latency, routing, and local peering influence real-world entertainment experiences across different market sizes.
What this means for consumers and markets
The 2025 Global 5G Awards reveal a multifaceted landscape. While several regions demonstrate superior performance—boosted by mid-band allocations, dense site deployment, and mature device ecosystems—India’s leading operators are still on a journey toward parity with the best in the world. For Indian users, the message is not to expect overnight leaps, but to anticipate improvements as spectrum policies, network densification, and 5G standalone (SA) adoption advance. Consumers should also watch for regional variations, with different operators delivering standout experiences in specific cities or districts.
Where to watch next
With ongoing 5G rollout and evolving network architectures, 2025 is likely to bring further refinements in speed, reliability, and gaming/video experiences. Industry observers will be watching how mid-band spectrum allocations, stand-alone 5G uptake, and device compatibility shape OpenSignal’s future rankings. For India, accelerated spectrum access and targeted network expansion could unlock faster, more stable 5G experiences in the coming months.
Bottom line
OpenSignal’s Global 5G Awards 2025 underscore a global asymmetry: top speeds and best user experiences are concentrated in certain markets, while others lag behind. India’s telecoms remain under pressure to accelerate deployment and optimize spectrum use to close the gap to the world’s leading 5G networks.
