The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has released its Independent Drive Test findings for Delhi for January 2026, highlighting real-time mobile network performance across urban zones, institutional hotspots, public transport hubs, and high-speed corridors.
The extensive testing, conducted under the supervision of TRAI’s Regional Office in Delhi between January 6 and January 9, 2026, covered 249.1 kms of city drive routes, 8 hotspot locations, 9.6 kms of walk tests, and inter-operator calling at one location. Technologies assessed included 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks.
The findings have already been shared with the concerned telecom service providers.
Key Voice Performance Results in Delhi
TRAI evaluated key voice parameters including Call Setup Success Rate, Drop Call Rate, Call Setup Time, Call Silence Rate, Speech Quality measured through Mean Opinion Score, and coverage.
Call Setup Success Rate
In auto-selection mode across 5G, 4G, 3G, and 2G:
Airtel: 100.00 percent
MTNL: 82.82 percent
RJIL: 99.22 percent
VIL: 100.00 percent
Drop Call Rate
Airtel: 0.39 percent
MTNL: 6.34 percent
RJIL: 0.53 percent
VIL: 0.00 percent
MTNL recorded the highest drop call rate among operators tested.
Call Setup Time
Airtel: 0.79 seconds
MTNL: 3.20 seconds
RJIL: 0.63 seconds
VIL: 0.56 seconds
VIL and RJIL delivered faster call setup times compared to competitors.
Call Silence and Speech Quality
On packet switched networks including 4G and 5G:
Silence call rate – Airtel: 0.00 percent
RJIL: 2.23 percent
VIL: 6.61 percent
Mean Opinion Score averages:
Airtel: 4.03
MTNL: 2.75
RJIL: 4.46
VIL: 4.40
RJIL achieved the highest speech quality score, while MTNL recorded the lowest MOS.
Data Performance: 5G Drives High Speeds
TRAI assessed download and upload throughput, latency, jitter, packet drop rate, and video streaming delay.
Overall Average Download Speeds
Airtel (5G/4G): 231.97 Mbps
MTNL (3G): 3.83 Mbps
RJIL (5G/4G): 266.99 Mbps
VIL (5G/4G/2G): 24.55 Mbps
RJIL recorded the highest average download speed in Delhi.
Overall Average Upload Speeds
Airtel (5G/4G): 31.39 Mbps
MTNL (3G): 1.04 Mbps
RJIL (5G/4G): 23.93 Mbps
VIL (5G/4G/2G): 11.00 Mbps
Airtel led in upload performance among operators tested.
Latency Performance
50th percentile latency results:
Airtel: 20.80 ms
MTNL: 21.65 ms
RJIL: 20.62 ms
VIL: 38.98 ms
RJIL recorded the lowest median latency, while VIL showed comparatively higher delay.
Hotspot Performance Highlights
At selected hotspot locations, 5G networks significantly outperformed 4G:
Airtel 5G download: 214.10 Mbps
RJIL 5G download: 361.84 Mbps
VIL 5G download: 44.13 Mbps
Upload performance at hotspots:
Airtel 5G upload: 29.95 Mbps
RJIL 5G upload: 31.96 Mbps
VIL 5G upload: 29.46 Mbps
RJIL achieved the highest 5G download speed in hotspot scenarios.
Areas Covered During Delhi Drive Test
The assessment covered high-density neighborhoods such as Bhajanpura, Shahdara, Dilshad Garden, Gandhi Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Anand Vihar, Patparganj, IP Extension, Mayur Vihar Phase III, and Khichripur.
Institutional and public locations evaluated included:
Amity International School, Mayur Vihar Phase 1
Bhai Parmanand Institute of Business Studies, Shakarpur
Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Geeta Colony
Dilshad Garden Metro Station
Karkardooma Court
Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj
Shahdara Metro Station
V3S Mall, Laxmi Nagar
The walk test conducted on January 8, 2026 focused on Anand Vihar Railway Station and nearby areas including ISBT, Gandhi Nagar Market, and Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple to evaluate network performance in crowded pedestrian environments.
What the Delhi IDT Findings Indicate
The January 2026 Independent Drive Test results indicate strong 5G-driven data performance from Airtel and RJIL in Delhi, particularly in download speeds and latency. VIL demonstrated competitive call setup performance and zero drop call rate, while MTNL faced challenges in call reliability and data throughput.
SHAFANA FAZAL