The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) today released the results of Independent Drive Tests (IDTs) conducted in April 2025, covering nine cities and highway corridors in seven Licensed Service Areas (LSAs). The nine cities and highway corridors fall under Palakkad, Varanasi, Delhi (City & Highway), Cuttack, Jodhpur, Patna, Gangtok and Pakyong with surrounding districts. These assessments were part of TRAI’s periodic Quality of Service (QoS) audits, aimed at evaluating real-time network performance. The tests were carried out using calibrated equipment and standardised protocols, under direct supervision of TRAI officials across diverse on-ground environments.

The drive tests were undertaken through TRAI-appointed agency and evaluated both voice and data services across 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G technologies. The scope included City Drive tests, Walk tests, Highway test and hotspot analysis. The networks of Bharti Airtel Limited, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, Vodafone Idea Limited, and BSNL/MTNL were covered in auto-selection and locked mode as per the requirement of tests.

Key Parameters Assessed:

1. Voice Services: Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR), Drop Call Rate (DCR), Call Setup Time, Call Silence Rate, Speech Quality (MOS), Coverage.

2. Data Services: Download/Upload Throughput, Latency, Jitter, Packet Drop Rate, and Video Streaming Delay.

Key findings of Independent Drive Tests (IDTs) are as under:

1. Palakkad, Varanasi and Cuttack have demonstrated better network performance by all operators with achievement of ≤ 2% of Drop Call Rate against benchmark. In Varanasi and Jodhpur, all operators have achieved benchmark of 98% for Call Setup Success Rates (CSSR). Data Download and Upload speed are also observed better in Palakkad, Varanasi, Cuttack and Jodhpur.

2. Delhi and Bihar & Jharkhand LSA areas have recorded comparatively higher Drop Call Rates, exceeding the prescribed QoS benchmarks. Data download and upload speed are also observed relatively lower in these areas in comparison of other area tested in the Drive Test. Call Setup Success Rates (CSSR) in Gangtok and Pakyong in West Bengal LSA observed below the benchmark of 98% for all Service providers.

Commenting on the findings, Shri Anil Kumar Lahoti, Chairman, TRAI said: “As India rapidly transitions into a digitally connected economy, TRAI remains committed to ensuring that service quality keeps pace with consumer expectations. These IDT results reflect actual user experience, help benchmark operator performance, and guide necessary network improvements.”

The details of drive tests conducted in the seven LSAs are given below:

S. No.	City / Routes Covered	Licensed Service Area	Period of Drive Test	Distance Covered	Performance summary (attached at)
1	Palakkad	Kerala	22-04-2025 to 24-04-2025	City:  268.4 Kms Walk Test: 7.6 Kms	Annexure A
2	Varanasi	UP (East)	22-04-2025 to 25-04-2025	City: 245.9 Kms Walk Test: 3.2 Kms	Annexure B
3	Delhi & Highway: Noida to Aligarh	Delhi	15-04-2025 to 25-04-2025	City: 370.6 Kms Walk Test: 4.4 Kms Highway: 124.9 Kms	Annexure C
4	Cuttack	Odisha	15-04-2025 to 18-04-2025	City: 331.4 Kms	Annexure D
5	Jodhpur	Rajasthan	28-04-2025 to 01-05-2025	City: 314.2 Kms Walk Test: 2 Kms	Annexure E
6	Patna & Bihar Sharif, Sheikhpura, Munger & Jamui district	Bihar & Jharkhand	01-04-2025 to 08-04-2025	City: 354.5 Kms Walk Test: 3.1 Kms	Annexure F
7	Gangtok and Pakyong	West Bengal	23-04-2025 to 25-04-2025	City: 146.2 Kms Walk Test: 1.2 Kms	Annexure G

 

The detailed reports are available at TRAI website www.trai.gov.in. For any clarification/information, Shri Tejpal Singh, Advisor (QoS-I) TRAI may be contacted on email: adv-qos1@trai.gov.in or at Tel. No. +91-11-20907759.

Click here to see Annexure

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Samrat/Allen

(Release ID: 2136667)