The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the findings of an Independent Drive Test conducted across parts of Sonitpur district in Assam to assess the real-time quality of mobile voice and data services offered by telecom service providers.
The assessment was carried out during August 2026 under the Assam Licensed Service Area (LSA). The objective was to verify the on-ground performance of telecom networks across key Quality of Service parameters, including network coverage, call drops, call setup success, call silence and data download and upload speeds.
TRAI said the drive tests are aimed at providing consumers with information on mobile network performance while encouraging telecom service providers to improve service quality.
The tests covered 308 kilometres of city routes, 10 hotspot locations and 1.6 kilometres through walk tests between August 10 and 13, 2026. The tests were conducted under the supervision of TRAI’s Regional Office in Kolkata.
How was network quality assessed?
During the drive tests, live voice and data sessions were established using SIM cards of different telecom service providers across available 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks.
TRAI assessed several parameters, including coverage gaps, Call Setup Success Rate, Drop Call Rate, call setup time, call silence, speech quality, download and upload throughput, latency, jitter and packet drop rate.
The assessment covered Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL) and Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL).
Coverage and dropped calls
The coverage assessment measured instances where the observed signal strength was below the prescribed minimum level for the respective technology.
During voice testing on the city drive route in auto-selection mode, Airtel recorded 1,766 poor-signal samples out of 44,378, while BSNL recorded 18,494 out of 41,037.
RJIL recorded 1,494 poor-signal samples out of 43,999, while VIL recorded 6,682 out of 44,109.
In terms of dropped calls, Airtel recorded no dropped calls out of 311 successfully established calls, while RJIL also recorded no dropped calls out of 316 established calls.
BSNL recorded 301 dropped calls out of 476 successfully established calls, while VIL recorded eight dropped calls out of 312 established calls.
Call silence instances
TRAI also assessed instances where silence lasted for more than three seconds during established calls.
Airtel recorded 13 such instances out of 309 calls, while BSNL recorded seven out of 253 calls.
RJIL recorded seven call silence instances out of 309 calls, while VIL recorded eight out of 310 calls.
Data speeds
The drive test also assessed average download and upload speeds across the networks.
For overall download performance, Airtel recorded an average speed of 116.11 Mbps on 5G/4G networks, while BSNL recorded 11.72 Mbps on 4G/2G.
RJIL recorded the highest average download speed among the four providers at 221.18 Mbps on 5G/4G, while VIL recorded 20.04 Mbps on 4G/2G.
For upload speeds, Airtel recorded an average of 21.09 Mbps, BSNL 4.32 Mbps, RJIL 15.98 Mbps and VIL 6.69 Mbps.
Areas covered
The city drive covered several locations across Sonitpur district, including Tezpur, Dhekiajuli, Thelamara, Sonabil, Rangamati, Bindukuri and surrounding areas.
The 10 hotspot locations included the ASTC Bus Stand in Mahabhairab, Dhekiajuli Block Development Office, District Court Tezpur, Tezpur Medical College and Hospital, Tezpur University and Tezpur Head Post Office, among others.
Walk tests were conducted at North Jamuguri BPHC/CHC and Rangapara North Junction to assess mobile network performance in pedestrian and crowded environments.
Findings shared with telecom operators
TRAI said the findings of the Independent Drive Test have been shared with the respective telecom service providers for necessary action.
The regulator said detailed Independent Drive Test reports are available on its website, allowing consumers to access information on mobile network performance in the areas covered by the assessment.
-PIB
