NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released a comprehensive technical assessment of mobile network performance across Jammu city and the high-speed corridor from Delhi to Jammu, offering critical insights into India’s evolving telecom infrastructure.
Conducted between February 2–5, 2026, the Independent Drive Test (IDT) spanned 178.2 km of urban routes and 620.5 km of highways, incorporating hotspot analysis, walk tests, and inter-operator evaluations. The study covered 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G technologies, reflecting real-world user experience across diverse environments.
📡 Voice Network Performance: Strong Competition, Noticeable Gaps
The report highlights high reliability in voice services, with Reliance Jio (RJIL) and Vodafone Idea (VIL) leading in Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR) at 99.12% and 99.26%, respectively. Bharti Airtel followed closely at 98.83%, while BSNL lagged significantly at 81.62%.
Drop Call Rates remained low for most operators, with VIL achieving the best performance at 0.60%, whereas BSNL recorded a notably higher 7.87%, indicating persistent reliability concerns.
In terms of call quality (MOS), RJIL led with 4.43, signaling superior voice clarity, followed by Airtel (3.96) and VIL (3.83), while BSNL trailed at 3.07.
🚀 Data Performance: 5G Drives a Massive Throughput Advantage
The report underscores a significant leap in data performance driven by 5G deployment. RJIL dominated with an average download speed of 295.90 Mbps, far ahead of Airtel (179.53 Mbps), VIL (25.34 Mbps), and BSNL (11.30 Mbps).
Upload speeds showed a similar trend, with RJIL (30.50 Mbps) and Airtel (30.09 Mbps) nearly tied, while VIL and BSNL lagged behind.
Latency benchmarks further reinforced RJIL’s lead, achieving the lowest 22.84 ms, ensuring smoother real-time applications such as gaming and video conferencing.
📍 Real-World Testing Across High-Density Zones
TRAI’s evaluation covered critical urban clusters including Prem Nagar, Gandhi Nagar, and Narwal, alongside major public hubs like Government Medical College Jammu, Jammu Tawi Railway Station, and Raghunath Temple.
Additionally, walk tests in crowded marketplaces such as Gole Market and Hari Market captured network behavior under high user density, while highway testing via Ambala and Jalandhar assessed connectivity during high-speed mobility.
🔍 Key Takeaway
The 2026 TRAI drive test clearly signals a 5G-driven transformation in network performance, with private operators—particularly RJIL and Airtel—delivering robust service quality across both urban and transit environments. However, the findings also highlight performance disparities, especially in legacy networks, underscoring the need for continued infrastructure upgrades to ensure uniform digital access.
The report reaffirms TRAI’s commitment to data-driven regulation and transparency, providing telecom operators with actionable insights to enhance service quality across India’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem.
