Optical Fiber — Jio Vs Airtel

Under the leadership of our honorable PM, our country is rapidly advancing and taking giant leaps towards digitalization. One of the main protagonists for this to happen is the communication sector. How fast is your internet? How fast is your wifi? Is your connection normal or fiber?

Internet is the backbone of the digital world. To access it and that too in a fast and efficient manner is all that matters. For this, we have ISPs (Internet Service Providers) like Airtel, Reliance Jio, etc.

In the Indian internet market, Airtel and Jio have a monopoly. If one uses Jio, the other uses Airtel. The competition is severe. But how do they actually compare? What about their services? If you are a hardcore gamer, will this speed be enough? Let’s answer all these questions.

Airtel V Fiber

Optical fiber offered by AIrtel is called ‘V Fiber’.

I have used Airtel since, well, you can say from the beginning. There were many companies offering services at the time as well, but Airtel seemed somewhat trustworthy.

After using Airtel for 3–4 years I was asked if I want to switch to fiber and get a speed in terms of hundreds of Mbps. Of course, I was ecstatic. After the installation, it’s like my narrative for the digital world changed.

+ves of V fiber

• Very cheap — You can literally eat a meal at Mcdonalds at the cost at which Airtel offers high-speed internet.
• Amount of data — For as little as 399 you can get up to more than 1000 Gb of high-speed data.
• The service offered — Just wow. Depending upon your location it may differ, but I highly doubt it. If you have any complaints an agent is assigned instantly, and they literally live up to their promise of a one-day solution.
• Unlimited calling — No matter what plan you choose, you are given unlimited Talktime on your fixed-line(Landline).
• OTT apps — Amazon prime, Airtel Wynk, Zee5……, and much more, all free with V fiber.
• 4k videos run as smooth as butter.

Why did I opt out of Airtel though?

If you are working from home, need wifi for daily needs, or just a normal routine, I’ll say Airtel is best for you.

However, I do gaming a lot. I need high-speed internet, that I got, but I also need a consistent internet. If you are into gaming you’d know what I’m talking about.

We need low ping, high packet rates, no packet loss and ……., etc. This is where I found Airtel lacking. If you are not connected via LAN, instead of wifi your gaming performance will decrease drastically. Not only that, sometimes I faced unexpected service issues as well. Of course, these guys are also human, make mistakes. Still, it happened quite a few times when I was left with zero connectivity for days. Trust me, it was very annoying.

Overall, I’d recommend you Airtel on one exception if you are not a gamer, that is.

Jio Fiber

Opting out of Airtel, I shifted to Jio. To be honest, I based my decision on my annoyance. Never was interested in changing my ISP. Well. that’s that.

I called Jio for installation. It was done within hours. No hassle. Very good service.

+ves of Jio fiber

• Very cheap — Rates are almost the same as Airtel, so no worries there.
• Amount of data — In every plan you get unlimited data. The cost only manages your speed.
• The service offered — So far so good. No complaints till now.
• Unlimited calling — No matter what plan you choose, you are given unlimited Talktime on your fixed-line(Landline).
• OTT apps — Amazon prime, Airtel Wynk, Zee5……, and much more, all free with V fiber.

Where Jio lacks

• The OTT apps offered can only be used when you opt for a Jio set-top box. Unlike Airtel, which gives you free subscription on any device.
• Surfing is not so smooth, as compared to Airtel. 4k videos won’t be the same.
• The most annoying thing I found was that packets won’t load unless you force them to. For example, you got a WhatsApp message. But, sometimes it won’t notify you unless you open the app itself.

Conclusion

Both have their pros and cons. Just because I’m using Jio right now, I won’t be partial towards it.

For gamers, I would say go for Jio. It gives you consistent internet. Very rare packet losses and consistently low ping. All these things are ideal for a gamer.

For normal use, home and office, just close your eyes and go for Airtel. You won’t regret it.

Keeping aside your requirements, if you are selecting one based on the quality of service they provide. Definitely go for Airtel. Their engineers and agents are real professionals.