The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the findings of an Independent Drive Test (IDT) conducted across parts of Sonitpur district under the Assam Licensed Service Area (LSA), highlighting significant differences in mobile network coverage, voice quality and data performance among telecom operators.
The assessment, conducted from August 10 to 13, 2026, covered 308 km of city routes, 10 hotspot locations and 1.6 km of walk tests. TRAI said the exercise was aimed at providing consumers with real-time information on mobile network quality and encouraging telecom service providers (TSPs) to improve services.
Reliance JioInfocomm (RJIL) recorded the highest overall average download speed at 221.18 Mbps, followed by Airtel at 116.11 Mbps, Vodafone Idea (VIL) at 20.04 Mbps and BSNL at 11.72 Mbps. Airtel posted the highest upload speed at 21.09 Mbps, while RJIL, VIL and BSNL recorded 15.98 Mbps, 6.69 Mbps and 4.32 Mbps, respectively.
The drive test recorded zero dropped calls for Airtel and RJIL. BSNL recorded 301 dropped calls out of 476 successfully established calls, while VIL reported eight out of 312.
The assessment covered Tezpur, Dhekiajuli, Thelamara, Rangapara and adjoining areas, along with hotspots including Tezpur Medical College and Hospital, Tezpur University and ASTC Bus Stand.
TRAI said the findings have been shared with the respective TSPs for necessary action, while detailed reports are available on its website.
