In a notable shift in India’s broadband landscape, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has emerged as the top fixed-line internet provider in FY26, surpassing Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, according to French network testing firm nPerf.
“BSNL tops India’s fixed-line barometer for 2025–2026 with an overall score of 89,174 nPoints, climbing from second place the previous year as part of a consistent upward trajectory observed across 5 consecutive years,” nPerf said.
Airtel and Jio scored 74,975 nPoints and 73,957 nPoints respectively. nPoints measure real-world internet performance by combining download speed, upload speed, latency, browsing, and streaming metrics.
BSNL recorded a 21% year-on-year growth in download speed, reaching 78.5 Mbps. Its upload speed stood at 75.26 Mbps, the highest among competitors. It also led in latency, web browsing, and YouTube streaming performance.
Airtel improved its ranking, supported by a steady 5-year trend. Its download speed rose 10% year-on-year to 62.4 Mbps, while upload speed was 38.71 Mbps.
Jio recorded the highest download speed at 79.6 Mbps, driven by a 33% year-on-year increase. However, its upload speed was lower at 33.46 Mbps, and it reported the highest latency at 62.61 ms. “Despite this, Jio’s five-year trend remains upward, and the operator’s fiber momentum provides a solid foundation,” nPerf said.
“India’s fixed-line market is entering a new phase of maturity, with fiber infrastructure driving meaningful and sustained improvements in user experience across all operators,” said Renaud Keradec.
In the fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) segment, Airtel led with download speeds of 241.72 Mbps, followed by Jio at 225.18 Mbps and BSNL at 198.54 Mbps.
nPerf noted that while competition is intensifying, performance gaps are widening in some areas and narrowing in others. It recommended BSNL to sustain gains in FTTH speed and improve latency on non-fiber networks. Airtel should focus on improving upload speeds, while Jio needs to balance performance by enhancing upload speed and reducing latency.
According to data from Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for February 2026, Jio and Airtel dominate the wireline market with subscriber shares of 31.36% and 21.34% respectively, while BSNL holds 15.45%.
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