BSNL Way Behind as TRAI Assesses Network Quality of Mobile Service Operators across Durg and Bhilai Cities, Raipur to Jagdalpur highway and Bhopal to Ratlam Railway Route MP LSA

·         Release of Findings of Independent Drive Tests (IDT)

TRAI Independent Drive Tests (IDT) – Key Findings

·         Scope: Conducted in November 2025 across

o    Durg & Bhilai Cities (357.4 km city drive + 4.7 km walk test)

o    Raipur–Jagdalpur Highway (297.8 km)

o    Bhopal–Ratlam Railway Route (280.7 km).

·         Technologies Tested: 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G.

·         Objective: Assess real-world mobile network performance in urban zones, highways, and railway routes.

Parameters Assessed

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

·         Data Services: Download/Upload throughput, latency, jitter, packet drop rate, video streaming delay.

Operator Performance

·         Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR):

o    Airtel – 95.44%

o    BSNL – 85.31%

o    RJIL (Jio) – 100%

o    VIL (Vodafone Idea) – 96.31%

·         Drop Call Rate (DCR):

o    Airtel – 0.57%

o    BSNL – 3.56%

o    RJIL – 0.45%

o    VIL – 1.46%

·         Poor Signal Strength Observed:

o    City Drive: Airtel 0.87%, BSNL 2.36%, VIL 0.87%, RJIL 3.18%

o    Highway Drive: Airtel 20.86%, BSNL 26.29%, VIL 7.16%, RJIL 24.58%

o    Railway Drive: Airtel 6.92%, BSNL 33.98%, VIL 2.70%, RJIL 10.77%

Conclusion

·         TRAI’s IDTs provide real-time insights into mobile service quality across diverse environments.

·         Findings have been shared with operators for corrective action.

·         Reports highlight variations in performance, with BSNL showing higher drop rates and poor signal strength compared to private operators.

·         Detailed report available on TRAI’s official website.

Summary in one line:

TRAI’s November 2025 drive tests across cities, highways, and railways in Madhya Pradesh revealed significant differences in mobile network quality, with Jio leading in call setup success and BSNL showing weaker performance.

 

[ABS News Service/09.01.2025]

Posted On: 08 JAN 2026 1:43PM by PIB Delhi

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has conducted Independent Drive Tests (IDT) covering Durg and Bhilai Cities, Raipur to Jagdalpur highway and Bhopal to Ratlam Railway Route in MP LSA of Madhya Pradesh LSA during the month of November 2025. The IDT have been designed to capture real-world mobile network performance across diverse usage environments –Urban zones, hotspots, public transport hubs, etc.

TRAI, through its appointed agency, conducted detailed drive tests of 357.4 Kms of City test and 4.7 kms of walk test in Durg and Bhilai Cities City between 19th to 22nd  November 2025 and 297.8 Kms of Highway Drive from Raipur to Jagdalpur on 17th November 2025 and 280.7 Kms of Railway Route from Bhopal to Ratlam on 25th November 2025. Technologies evaluated included 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G, reflecting the service experience of users across multiple handset capabilities. The findings of IDT have been intimated to all the TSPs concerned for further necessary action.

Key Parameters Assessed:

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

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

Call Setup Success Rate - Airtel, BSNL, RJIL and VIL have 95.44%, 85.31%, 100 % and 96.31% call setup success rate respectively in Auto-selection mode (5G/4G/3G/2G).

Drop Call Rate - Airtel, BSNL, RJIL and VIL have drop call rate 0.57%, 3.56%, 0.45% and 1.46% respectively in Auto-selection mode (5G/4G/3G/2G).

Poor signal strength level has been observed on 0.87%, 2.36%, 0.87% & 3.18% of the route covered during the drive test for Airtel, BSNL, VIL and RJIL correspondingly for city drive.

Poor signal strength level has been observed on 20.86%, 26.29%, 7.16% & 24.58% of the route covered during the drive test for Airtel, BSNL, VIL and RJIL correspondingly for highway drive.

Poor signal strength level has been observed on 6.92%, 33.98%, 2.70% & 10.77% of the route covered during the drive test for Airtel, BSNL, VIL and RJIL correspondingly for railway drive.

Summary of Performance against key QoS parameters

CSSR: Call Setup Success Rate (in %), CST: Call Setup Time (in milli seconds), DCR: Drop Call Rate (in %) & MOS: Mean Opinion Score.

The tests were conducted using TRAI-calibrated equipment and standardised protocols in real-time environments. The detailed report is available at TRAI website www.trai.gov.in. For any clarification/information, Shri Sanjay Kumar Gupta, Advisor (Regional Office, Bhopal) TRAI may be contacted on email: adv.bhopal@trai.gov.in or at Tel. No. +91-755-2575501.