NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the findings of an independent drive test conducted across Srinagar, Gulmarg, Anantnag, Pahalgam and the Srinagar-Pahalgam and Srinagar-Gulmarg highway routes, showing Reliance Jio and Airtel delivering better overall mobile network performance than BSNL and Vodafone Idea (Vi).
The assessment, carried out between June 8 and 12 under the Jammu and Kashmir Licensed Service Area (LSA), evaluated mobile voice and data services offered by telecom service providers through real-time testing of 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks.
According to TRAI, the tests covered 373.6 km of city routes, 111.5 km of highways, six hotspot locations, a 4.9-km walk test and inter-operator calling at one location.
In Srinagar and Gulmarg, Reliance Jio recorded the highest average download speed at 276.92 Mbps, followed by Airtel at 188.64 Mbps. BSNL and Vi registered average download speeds of 10.77 Mbps and 24.14 Mbps, respectively.
Airtel and Reliance Jio recorded no dropped calls during the city drive, while BSNL reported seven dropped calls and Vi three. BSNL also recorded the highest number of call silence instances.
In Anantnag and Pahalgam, Airtel and Reliance Jio again reported no dropped calls. Airtel recorded an average download speed of 183.84 Mbps, while Reliance Jio registered 163.53 Mbps. BSNL and Vi recorded average download speeds of 6.86 Mbps and 12.92 Mbps, respectively.
On the Srinagar-Pahalgam highway, Airtel achieved the highest average download speed at 192.01 Mbps, followed by Reliance Jio at 88.24 Mbps. Airtel, BSNL and Reliance Jio reported no dropped calls on the route, while Vi recorded four.
Along the Srinagar-Gulmarg highway, Airtel again led in download speed with 176.89 Mbps, followed by Reliance Jio at 88.14 Mbps. All four operators recorded dropped calls on this route, with BSNL, Reliance Jio and Vi each reporting seven dropped calls, while Airtel reported four.
The regulator also assessed coverage gaps, call setup success, call silence, upload speeds and other quality-of-service parameters. Vi and BSNL generally recorded higher coverage gaps and lower data speeds than Airtel and Reliance Jio across the tested locations.
The drive covered major urban areas, including Srinagar, Ganderbal, Gulmarg, Anantnag and Pahalgam, as well as highways passing through Pampore, Awantipora, Bijbehara, Aishmuqam, Narbal, Magam, Kunzer and Tangmarg. Hotspot locations included Srinagar Railway Station, the University of Kashmir, Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital, Hari Singh High Street, the Accountant General’s Office and the Betaab Valley viewpoint.
TRAI said the findings have been shared with the respective telecom service providers for necessary action to improve network quality. The observations reflect network performance at the locations and during the period in which the tests were conducted.
