Overview: OpenSignal’s Global 5G Awards 2025
OpenSignal’s Global 5G Awards 2025 compile data from January to June 2025, drawing on activity from hundreds of millions of mobile devices to identify the fastest, most reliable 5G networks. The results underscore a mixed picture: strong performances from operators outside India and notable gaps for Indian telcos, which did not top any category this year. The awards highlight regional leaders in 5G speed, reliability, and user experience across gaming and video. For Indian users, the findings offer both a benchmark and a nudge for faster nationwide 5G progress.
Global winners by capability
In the realm of 5G download speeds across large regions, Vivo from Brazil led with an average around 362.1 Mbps, while South Korea’s KT topped speeds in smaller regions with about 470.7 Mbps. Brazilian operators Claro and TIM also featured prominently in the large-region category, illustrating how regional ecosystems can drive standout 5G performance. The results reflect the uneven but rapid evolution of 5G networks around the world.
Regional highlights
Europe: Poland and the Netherlands
Poland saw a surge in 5G capability, with operators such as T-Mobile, Play, and Orange delivering notable gains—roughly a 140.7 Mbps year-on-year improvement—and taking stellar positions in global assessments. In the Netherlands, Odido led small-area performance with around 151.1 Mbps, signaling strong competition among European operators.
Singapore and its neighbors
Singapore’s market demonstrated robust 5G activity. In large-area metrics, the top spot went to a major international player (T-Mobile) with a score of 8.1, while in small-area metrics, Singapore’s Singtel surged to 9.1, showcasing the city-state’s capability for high-performance 5G in dense environments. Local players M1, StarHub, and Simba also earned recognition in the rankings.
Gaming and video experiences: a mixed field
For gaming and video experiences, performance leaders varied by market. Singtel and a Japanese operator (identified in OpenSignal data as Ou) shared top positions in certain segments. In large-area gaming/video scores, Ou led with about 91.9, while in small areas Singtel reached roughly 92.9. Other operators from Romania, Finland, Canada, Sweden, and Singapore also delivered notable video experiences, underscoring how 5G quality translates into everyday media use.
India’s standing in the 2025 awards
One of the headline takeaways is the relative position of Indian telecoms. Jio, Airtel, and Vi did not top any category this year, a contrast to the leading performers in Korea, Brazil, and several European markets. The results highlight a gap between India’s rapid 5G rollout in many cities and the pace of delivering equally strong user experiences across speeds, latency, and applications.
What this means for Indian users
For Indian consumers, the awards emphasize the importance of continued investment in 5G infrastructure, spectrum allocation, and broad nationwide coverage. While 5G has expanded to many urban centers, improving speed, latency, and reliability will help ensure a consistently high-quality experience for gaming, video streaming, and other data-intensive applications. The OpenSignal findings may encourage Indian operators to accelerate network optimization and expansion, with a focus on delivering faster, more reliable 5G services to a growing user base.
Looking ahead: implications for the 5G race
OpenSignal’s 2025 awards capture a dynamic, multi-regional 5G landscape. Regions like Europe, Brazil, and parts of Asia are pushing ahead with faster speeds and better experiences, while markets such as India continue to scale and refine their deployments. The coming year is likely to bring further improvements in speed, coverage, and user experience as networks upgrade, new spectrum is allocated, and devices become more capable of exploiting high-speed 5G.
Conclusion
The Global 5G Awards 2025 illustrate a world where leading networks deliver exceptional performance in different ways. For India, the takeaway is clear: sustained investment and innovation in 5G deployment are essential to close the gap and provide world-class 5G experiences to all users.
