TRAI released the findings of its Drive Test for Nasik based on testing conducted from 18 to 21 November 2025. The assessment covered 487.2 km across city roads, highways, hotspots and walk routes to evaluate real-world mobile network performance in urban areas, institutional locations, public transport hubs and high-speed corridors.
The drive tests evaluated 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G services across key voice and data parameters, including call setup success rate, drop call rate, call quality, coverage, data throughput and latency. The findings have been shared with all concerned telecom service providers for necessary corrective measures.
In auto-selection mode across all technologies, Reliance Jio recorded a 100.00 percent call setup success rate, followed by Airtel at 99.64 percent and Vodafone Idea at 94.66 percent, while BSNL achieved 86.60 percent. Drop call rates were lowest for Airtel at zero percent, followed by Reliance Jio at 0.71 percent and Vodafone Idea at 0.94 percent, with BSNL reporting a higher rate of 4.72 percent, indicating variations in voice service performance among operators in the Nasik LSA.
The voice services assessment in the Nasik LSA shows strong performance by Reliance Jio and Airtel, with mixed results for BSNL and Vodafone Idea. In auto-selection mode across 5G, 4G, 3G and 2G, call setup success rates were highest for Reliance Jio at 100.00 percent, followed by Airtel at 99.64 percent and Vodafone Idea at 94.66 percent, while BSNL recorded 86.60 percent.
Call setup times were fastest on Airtel at 0.64 seconds, closely followed by Reliance Jio at 0.73 seconds. Vodafone Idea and BSNL reported longer setup times of 3.07 seconds and 2.17 seconds respectively. Drop call rates were lowest on Airtel at zero percent, followed by Vodafone Idea at 0.94 percent and Reliance Jio at 0.71 percent, while BSNL posted a higher rate of 4.72 percent.
On packet-switched networks, call silence or mute rates were lowest for Vodafone Idea at 0.28 percent and Reliance Jio at 1.60 percent, compared with 3.51 percent for Airtel and 3.47 percent for BSNL. Mean Opinion Scores indicated the best perceived call quality on Reliance Jio at 4.40, followed by Vodafone Idea at 4.05 and Airtel at 3.85, while BSNL lagged with a score of 2.98.
The data services assessment in the Nasik LSA shows Reliance Jio and Airtel leading overall performance, while BSNL continues to lag significantly. Overall average download speeds were highest on Reliance Jio at 193.31 Mbps, followed by Airtel at 104.52 Mbps and Vodafone Idea at 59.74 Mbps, with BSNL recording just 5.03 Mbps. Upload performance was led by Airtel at 26.21 Mbps, closely followed by Reliance Jio at 23.51 Mbps, while Vodafone Idea achieved 15.92 Mbps and BSNL 4.78 Mbps.
Latency performance favored Reliance Jio, which recorded a 50th percentile latency of 24.55 ms, compared with 39.90 ms for Airtel, 37.79 ms for BSNL and 40.71 ms for Vodafone Idea.
In hotspot locations, 5G networks delivered significantly higher speeds than 4G. Reliance Jio recorded the highest 5G download throughput at 155.69 Mbps, followed by Vodafone Idea at 130.49 Mbps and Airtel at 117.96 Mbps. On 4G, Vodafone Idea posted the fastest download speed at 43.82 Mbps, while BSNL lagged at 7.58 Mbps. Upload speeds at hotspots were strongest on Airtel’s 5G network at 28.24 Mbps, followed by Reliance Jio at 22.30 Mbps and Vodafone Idea at 20.76 Mbps, highlighting the clear performance advantage of 5G across operators.
TRAI’s Nasik assessment covered a wide range of high-density residential, commercial and semi-urban locations to capture mobile network performance under varied conditions. The drive tests included areas such as Nashik International Airport, Panchvati, Trimbak, Canada Corner, Mumbai Naka, Indira Nagar, Pathardi Phata, Adgaon and Janori, reflecting usage in busy urban centres as well as surrounding towns and rural pockets.
The evaluation also assessed stationary user experience at key institutions, transport hubs and tourist locations, including the Civil Hospital, District Collector Office, Mahamarg Bus Stand, RTO Office, Nashik Airport, Shri Kalaram Mandir, Trimbakeshwar Jyotirling Mandir and Someshwar Waterfall. Walk tests were conducted at crowded pedestrian locations such as Nashik Railway Station, Panchwati Ghat, Shalimar Market and the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Bus Stand to examine network behaviour in high-footfall environments.
In addition, a highway drive test from Mahamarg Bus Stop Nashik to Amrutdham Nashik, passing through multiple towns and forested stretches, was carried out to assess quality of service along long-distance and intercity routes.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH
