New Delhi : The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released findings from its Independent Drive Test (IDT) conducted across Jammu city and the Delhi–Jammu highway corridor, offering a comprehensive snapshot of mobile network performance across urban, high-density, and transit environments.
The tests, carried out between February 2 and 5, 2026, covered 178.2 km of city routes and 620.5 km of highways, along with hotspot locations, walk tests, and inter-operator calling. Technologies evaluated ranged from 2G and 3G to 4G and 5G, reflecting real-world user experience across diverse conditions.
In voice services, private telecom operators showed strong performance. Call Setup Success Rates (CSSR) remained high for Airtel (98.83%), Reliance Jio (99.12%), and Vodafone Idea (99.26%), while BSNL lagged at 81.62%. Drop call rates were also relatively low for private players, with Vodafone Idea at 0.60%, Airtel at 0.74%, and Jio at 1.18%, compared to a significantly higher 7.87% for BSNL.
Call setup time—a key indicator of user experience—was fastest for Jio at 0.66 seconds, followed by Vodafone Idea (0.94 seconds) and Airtel (1.40 seconds), while BSNL recorded a longer delay of 4.05 seconds. In terms of call quality, measured through Mean Opinion Score (MOS), Jio led with 4.43, followed by Airtel (3.96), Vodafone Idea (3.83), and BSNL (3.07).
Data performance highlighted a clear advantage for 5G-enabled networks. Reliance Jio recorded the highest average download speed at 295.90 Mbps, followed by Airtel at 179.53 Mbps. Vodafone Idea reported 25.34 Mbps, while BSNL lagged at 11.30 Mbps. Upload speeds were comparable between Jio (30.50 Mbps) and Airtel (30.09 Mbps), with Vodafone Idea at 16.39 Mbps and BSNL at 3.86 Mbps.
Latency performance also favored private operators, with Jio recording the lowest median latency at 22.84 ms, followed by Airtel (27.94 ms), BSNL (29.72 ms), and Vodafone Idea (43.38 ms).
Hotspot testing further reinforced these trends, with Jio and Airtel delivering significantly higher 5G speeds compared to 4G networks, indicating the growing impact of next-generation infrastructure.
The assessment in Jammu city covered key residential and commercial areas, including Prem Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, and Shastri Nagar, as well as major public locations such as Government Medical College, Jammu Bus Stand, Jammu Tawi Railway Station, and Raghunath Temple. Walk tests in crowded markets like Gole Market and Hari Market captured network performance in dense pedestrian zones.
Highway testing from Delhi to Jammu via Ambala and Jalandhar evaluated connectivity during high-speed travel, an increasingly critical parameter for users on the move.
TRAI stated that the findings have been shared with all telecom service providers for necessary improvements. The report underscores the progress made in 4G and 5G services while highlighting the need for continued upgrades, particularly in legacy networks, to ensure consistent and reliable connectivity across regions.
The assessment reflects TRAI’s ongoing efforts to monitor service quality and enhance user experience in India’s rapidly evolving telecom landscape.
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