TRAI Tests Reveal Reliance Jio's Dominance in Telecom Services

Overview of TRAI's Drive Tests

In March 2025, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) conducted a series of independent drive tests along various highways to assess the quality of voice and data services offered by telecom providers. The objective was to analyze critical performance metrics, including call setup success rates, drop call rates, speech quality measured by the Mean Opinion Score, packet drop rates for both download and upload, call silence rates, and overall network coverage, according to TRAI's findings.

Performance Highlights of Telecom Operators

The results indicated that Reliance Jio and Vodafone excelled in the call setup success rate, with Jio demonstrating superior performance in establishing voice connections more swiftly across all tested routes. In terms of data services, Jio also emerged as the leading provider, achieving the highest speeds for both downloads and uploads on all routes, while Airtel performed well on two specific routes.

Airtel's Strengths in Call Drop Rates

Airtel distinguished itself in the call drop category, outperforming competitors on five out of seven tested routes, showcasing the lowest call drop rates. Additionally, Airtel led in call silence performance, reflecting its operational effectiveness, as highlighted by TRAI's analysis.

BSNL's Performance

In contrast, BSNL did not perform well across any of the evaluated parameters when compared to its rivals.

Test Locations

The drive tests were carried out in various locations, including Nagpur, Prayagraj, Mumbai, Ambala, Chennai, Srinagar, and Indore, covering cities, highways, railway routes, and coastal areas.