Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the findings of its drive test conducted across Udupi district, Karnataka, during March 17–20, 2026, assessing the network performance of Reliance Jio (RJIL), Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and BSNL. The assessment covered 535.5 km of city routes, 103.3 km of coastal routes, 15 hotspot locations, and 9.8 km of walk test routes, providing a comprehensive evaluation of voice and data performance.
Credit: GSMA
Reliance Jio Delivers Fastest Mobile Broadband
Reliance Jio emerged as the clear leader in mobile data performance, recording the highest average download speed of 197.40 Mbps on its 5G/4G network. Airtel ranked second with an average download speed of 96.45 Mbps, followed by Vodafone Idea at 23.09 Mbps and BSNL at 5.65 Mbps.
For upload performance, Airtel took the top spot with an average upload speed of 17.00 Mbps, narrowly ahead of Reliance Jio at 14.78 Mbps. Vodafone Idea recorded 10.81 Mbps, while BSNL achieved 1.76 Mbps.
Jio Provides Best Network Coverage
TRAI measured coverage quality based on poor signal strength samples collected during voice testing.
Reliance Jio recorded the fewest coverage gaps, with 4,561 poor signal samples out of 46,087, indicating the strongest overall network coverage in Udupi.
Airtel followed with 5,304 poor signal samples out of 46,558, while Vodafone Idea registered 11,219 poor signal samples out of 42,475.
BSNL recorded the weakest coverage, with 18,643 poor signal samples out of 44,700, substantially higher than competing operators.
Airtel Delivers Best Voice Call Reliability
Airtel achieved the best voice performance by recording just 1 dropped call out of 420 successfully established calls during the drive test.
Reliance Jio followed with 4 dropped calls out of 422 calls, while Vodafone Idea recorded 13 dropped calls out of 392 calls.
BSNL reported the highest dropped call rate with 22 dropped calls out of 396 established calls, indicating weaker call stability.
Reliance Jio Leads Voice Quality
Call silence instances, measured as voice interruptions lasting more than three seconds, were lowest on Reliance Jio’s network with 16 silence instances out of 402 calls.
BSNL recorded 22 silence instances out of 316 calls, while Airtel reported 30 silence instances out of 407 calls.
Vodafone Idea registered the highest number of call silence events with 32 silence instances out of 380 calls.
TRAI Tested Networks Across City, Coastal Routes and Public Hotspots
The city drive covered major locations including Padubidri, Santhekatte, Kota, Kumbhashi, Kundapura, Baindur, Nellikatte, Shiroor Murukai, Hebri, Ajekar J.H.C., Karkala and Belman.
The coastal route assessment covered Saligram A to Saligram B through the Great Mangrove Islands, as well as Malpe Beach to St. Mary’s Island, including Malpe Sea View Point and the St. Mary’s ferry route.
Hotspot testing was conducted at Canara Mall Manipal, District Government Hospital Udupi, Kasturba Medical College (KMC) Hospital Manipal, Mandavi Times Square Mall Udupi, Manipal MIT Campus, RTO Office Udupi, Sri Krishna Temple (Car Street), Tip Top City Centre Mall Udupi, TMA Pai Hospital Manipal, Udupi Deputy Commissioner Office, Udupi District and Sessions Court, Udupi KSRTC Bus Stand, Udupi Nagarasabha Municipal Office, Udupi Railway Station, and Udupi Taluk Office.
Walk tests covered Karkala Bahubali Statue Hill Pathway, Malpe Beach Promenade from the beach entrance to the Sea Walk area, and the Sri Krishna Temple Udupi to Udupi Service Bus Stand corridor to evaluate mobile network performance in high-footfall pedestrian areas.
Overall, the TRAI drive test shows Reliance Jio leading Udupi in 5G download speeds, network coverage, and voice quality, Airtel delivering the most reliable voice service and the fastest upload speeds, Vodafone Idea offering moderate performance but trailing the top two private operators, while BSNL remains significantly behind in coverage, voice reliability, and mobile broadband performance.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH