Telecom consumer complaints in India increased 63 percent over two years, reaching 73,081 in FY2025-26, as customers reported problems involving mobile coverage, dropped calls, billing, broadband outages and service quality.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) received 55,978 direct consumer complaints in FY2024-25 and 44,733 in FY2023-24. The increase comes as Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi) and BSNL expand mobile networks, 5G coverage and broadband services.
On November 2, 2026, TRAI introduced tighter complaint-handling requirements, including 24-hour complaint centres, faster appeals and stronger operator accountability.
TRAI’s September 2026 performance monitoring reports and July independent drive tests reveal differences in network coverage, download speeds, dropped calls, broadband reliability and repair performance.
Airtel Complaints: Network Coverage, Broadband Faults and Repair Delays
Bharti Airtel recorded 577 poor-signal samples out of 38,626 during TRAI’s July 2026 drive test in Thrissur, Kerala.
The operator reported zero dropped calls from 347 established calls, with average download and upload speeds of 145.43 Mbps and 27.96 Mbps.
On the Kochi–Thrissur–Calicut highway, Airtel recorded 90 poor-signal samples out of 18,406 and zero dropped calls from 92 calls.
TRAI’s September 2026 fixed-broadband performance report showed Airtel network availability of 98.96 percent, latency of 8 milliseconds and zero packet loss.
Airtel reported 4.26 broadband fault incidents per 100 subscribers. Around 86.72 percent of faults were repaired within one day, increasing to 99.14 percent within three days.
Its billing complaint ratio was 0.02 percent, with all reported complaints resolved within four weeks.
Customers experiencing repeated broadband interruptions should register complaints through Airtel customer care and broadband support and retain their service-request numbers.
Airtel’s network expansion involves technology suppliers including Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung, while fibre and broadband infrastructure upgrades support Airtel Xstream Fiber and enterprise connectivity.
However, additional network investments do not automatically eliminate localized coverage problems or broadband faults.
Reliance Jio Complaints: High 5G Speeds but Local Coverage Problems
Reliance Jio recorded 686 poor-signal samples out of 38,365 during TRAI’s Thrissur assessment.
The operator achieved average download and upload speeds of 328.12 Mbps and 23.95 Mbps, with zero dropped calls from 348 established calls.
On the Kochi–Thrissur–Calicut highway, Jio recorded 62 poor-signal samples out of 17,686 and one dropped call from 87 calls.
Its average highway download speed reached 346.73 Mbps.
These results indicate strong measured data performance on the tested routes, but customers may still experience poor indoor coverage, network congestion and intermittent mobile data elsewhere.
Jio customers should submit precise locations, dates, times and speed-test results when reporting recurring network problems.
For JioFiber and JioAirFiber, subscribers should record outage duration, router status, speed measurements and repeated disconnections.
The operator’s Jio customer support portal provides channels for registering mobile and broadband complaints.
Jio’s network ecosystem includes Samsung Networks, Ericsson, Nokia and other infrastructure suppliers. Its JioAirFiber and JioFiber services also require reliable radio capacity, fibre backhaul and customer-premises equipment.
Vodafone Idea Complaints: Call Silence, Coverage and 5G Performance
Vodafone Idea recorded 802 poor-signal samples out of 38,871 in the Thrissur drive test.
Vi achieved average download and upload speeds of 44.52 Mbps and 14.64 Mbps.
Although the operator recorded zero dropped calls from 344 established calls, TRAI identified 35 call-silence instances from 329 calls.
On the Kochi–Thrissur–Calicut highway, Vi recorded 115 poor-signal samples out of 18,345, two dropped calls from 93 calls and seven call-silence instances from 91 calls.
Call silence is an important service-quality problem because a call can remain connected while users cannot hear each other properly.
Vi’s FY2025-26 annual report disclosed 4,770,473 customer complaints, with 7,961 pending at the end of the financial year.
These are company-reported complaint volumes and should not be interpreted as exclusively network coverage or billing complaints.
Vi has been expanding 5G services and upgrading its mobile infrastructure with equipment suppliers including Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung.
Customers experiencing poor voice quality, recharge deductions or inconsistent 5G connectivity can register complaints through Vi customer support and grievance services.
The operator’s network modernization programme includes radio equipment upgrades, additional sites and capacity improvements across priority telecom circles.
BSNL Complaints: Weak Mobile Speeds and Broadband Repair Performance
BSNL recorded 1,115 poor-signal samples out of 38,579 during TRAI’s Thrissur assessment.
The operator experienced 17 dropped calls from 359 established calls and three call-silence instances from 321 calls.
Average download and upload speeds were 7.92 Mbps and 5.41 Mbps.
On the Kochi–Thrissur–Calicut highway, BSNL recorded 207 poor-signal samples out of 18,366 and two dropped calls from 94 calls.
Its September 2026 fixed-broadband performance figures showed 99.83 percent network availability, 16.33 milliseconds latency and 0.20 percent packet loss.
BSNL reported 0.62 broadband fault incidents per 100 subscribers. Around 94.81 percent were repaired within one day and 99.76 percent within three days.
Its billing complaint ratio reached 0.39 percent, compared with Airtel’s 0.02 percent. Both operators reported resolving all measured billing complaints within four weeks.
BSNL’s network modernization includes an indigenous 4G project involving TCS, Tejas Networks and C-DOT.
As of January 15, 2026, BSNL had installed 97,672 4G sites, with 95,511 operational.
Customers can use BSNL’s customer-care and complaint-registration channels to report mobile coverage, landline, FTTH broadband and billing problems.
Airtel, Jio, Vi and BSNL: Network Quality Comparison in Thrissur
| Operator | Download speed | Poor-signal samples | Dropped calls |
| Airtel | 145.43 Mbps | 577 / 38,626 | 0 / 347 |
| Reliance Jio | 328.12 Mbps | 686 / 38,365 | 0 / 348 |
| Vodafone Idea | 44.52 Mbps | 802 / 38,871 | 0 / 344 |
| BSNL | 7.92 Mbps | 1,115 / 38,579 | 17 / 359 |
Source: TRAI July 2026 Thrissur independent drive test. Results reflect the tested locations and conditions, not nationwide operator performance.
How to File and Escalate Telecom Complaints in India
Consumers should follow a documented complaint process rather than repeatedly contacting customer care without obtaining a complaint reference.
Register the complaint: Contact the operator’s official customer-care centre, mobile app or website. Obtain a complaint docket number.
Document network problems: Record the location, dates, times, signal conditions, dropped calls and speed-test results.
Submit billing evidence: Include invoices, recharge confirmations, transaction IDs, payment receipts and disputed charges.
Report broadband faults: Record outage duration, router status, speed tests and technician visits. Use a wired speed test where possible to distinguish Wi-Fi problems from broadband-line faults.
Escalate unresolved complaints: Approach the operator’s Appellate Authority when the complaint remains unresolved beyond the applicable deadline or the response is unsatisfactory.
TRAI’s telecom consumer complaint redressal framework explains the complaint and appeal process.
Under the November 2026 amendments, complaint centres must operate 24 hours daily, with human assistance available for at least 16 hours.
Consumers can submit complaints and appeals through provider applications.
The revised rules provide a 15-day appeal window after complaint disposal, while the Appellate Authority must decide appeals within 15 days.
TRAI generally does not act as the first-level resolver of individual telecom service complaints. Customers must initially use the operator’s complaint and appellate mechanisms.
Telecom Vendors and Network Projects Supporting Better Service Quality
Improving telecom service quality requires investments in network coverage, capacity, fault monitoring and broadband infrastructure.
Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung Networks and Huawei supply radio access network technologies relevant to mobile coverage and capacity improvements.
Tejas Networks, C-DOT and TCS support BSNL’s indigenous 4G modernization project.
Cisco, Juniper Networks, Ciena and Nokia provide routing and optical networking technologies relevant to fibre backhaul and broadband infrastructure.
Amdocs, Netcracker, ServiceNow and Oracle Communications offer software capabilities for telecom customer management, service assurance and operational support.
Operators can use network analytics, automated fault detection and AI-assisted customer service to identify recurring problems and improve complaint resolution.
These vendor capabilities represent potential solutions; the cited TRAI reports do not establish that any specific supplier caused or resolved the measured service problems.
TRAI’s New Complaint Rules Increase Pressure on Telecom Operators
India’s rising complaint volumes highlight the need for better network reliability, transparent billing and faster broadband fault resolution.
Jio’s high download speeds, Airtel’s broadband repair performance, Vi’s call-silence incidents and BSNL’s coverage gaps demonstrate why operators must be assessed using multiple service-quality indicators.
For consumers, the most effective approach is to document the problem, obtain a complaint docket number, preserve supporting evidence and escalate within the prescribed timeline.
For telecom operators, the November 2026 rules make complaint accessibility, repair performance and timely appeals increasingly important measures of customer service quality.
FASNA SHABEER
