Reliance Jio has delivered the strongest overall mobile network performance in the latest Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) drive test (IDT) conducted across Hamirpur, Bilaspur and the Amb-Hamirpur highway in Himachal Pradesh during May 2026. The assessment compared the quality of voice and data services offered by Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea across city routes, highways, railway corridors, hotspots and walk-test locations.
TRAI conducted the drive tests between May 12 and May 16, 2026, covering 290.6 km of city roads, 119.0 km of highways, 168.0 km of railway routes from Chandigarh to Amb, 8 hotspot locations, 2.5 km of walk-test routes and inter-operator calling at one location. The Hamirpur route covered Dhanpur, Jeehan, Karot Khas, Bharti, Paddar, Bharin, Bhota, Aghar and Ladraur, while the Bilaspur route included Harlog, Bhager, Auhar, Bharari, Zakatkhana, Jabal, Thapna, Swarghat, Jamli, Kothipura, Ghaghas, Dehar and Salaper.
Reliance Jio leads coverage and voice quality in Hamirpur
In Hamirpur and nearby areas, Reliance Jio recorded the lowest coverage gap with only 272 poor signal samples out of 15,571 observations. Airtel followed with 479 poor signal samples out of 16,503, while BSNL recorded 2,232 out of 16,232 and Vodafone Idea reported 2,401 out of 16,460.
For dropped calls, Airtel and Reliance Jio both achieved zero dropped calls out of 148 successfully established calls. Vodafone Idea recorded one dropped call out of 148 calls, while BSNL experienced 18 dropped calls out of 151 calls.
Vodafone Idea delivered the fewest call silence instances with one event out of 145 calls. Reliance Jio recorded four silence instances out of 143 calls, Airtel reported five out of 143, while BSNL registered 12 out of 118 calls.
Jio delivers fastest mobile data speeds in Hamirpur
Reliance Jio also led mobile broadband performance in Hamirpur with an average 5G download speed of 243.12 Mbps, ahead of Airtel’s 171.15 Mbps on 5G. Vodafone Idea’s 4G network delivered 13.51 Mbps, while BSNL’s 4G network recorded 11.29 Mbps.
For upload performance, Reliance Jio again ranked first with an average 5G upload speed of 19.81 Mbps, narrowly ahead of Airtel at 18.38 Mbps. Vodafone Idea achieved 6.35 Mbps, while BSNL recorded 4.81 Mbps.
Reliance Jio dominates Bilaspur network performance
In Bilaspur and nearby areas, Reliance Jio again achieved the best radio coverage with only 658 poor signal samples out of 19,006 observations. Airtel followed with 902 poor signal samples out of 18,816. BSNL reported 5,774 poor signal samples out of 17,483, while Vodafone Idea recorded the highest coverage gap with 6,806 out of 18,548.
Voice performance also favored Airtel and Reliance Jio. Airtel registered two dropped calls out of 170 established calls, while Reliance Jio recorded three out of 173. Vodafone Idea experienced 11 dropped calls out of 170, whereas BSNL recorded 29 dropped calls out of 159.
For call silence, Reliance Jio delivered the best result with four silence instances out of 167 calls. BSNL reported six out of 100 calls, Vodafone Idea seven out of 164, and Airtel ten out of 163.
Jio records highest 5G speeds in Bilaspur
Reliance Jio’s 5G network delivered the fastest average download speed of 172.19 Mbps in Bilaspur. Airtel followed with 87.49 Mbps on 5G, while Vodafone Idea and BSNL recorded 13.62 Mbps and 6.92 Mbps respectively on 4G.
Upload throughput also favored Reliance Jio, which achieved 14.45 Mbps, ahead of Airtel’s 11.82 Mbps. Vodafone Idea recorded 3.96 Mbps and BSNL delivered 3.78 Mbps.
Amb-Hamirpur highway: Jio maintains leadership
On the Amb-Hamirpur highway, Reliance Jio again delivered the strongest overall performance. It recorded the lowest coverage gap with only 120 poor signal samples out of 6,097 observations, compared with Airtel’s 433 out of 6,059, Vodafone Idea’s 2,091 out of 5,625 and BSNL’s 4,070 out of 8,372.
Airtel and Reliance Jio completed the drive without any dropped calls, recording zero dropped calls out of 30 and 31 established calls respectively. Vodafone Idea experienced eight dropped calls out of 35 calls, while BSNL registered 18 dropped calls out of 50.
Reliance Jio also reported the fewest call silence instances with one event out of 30 calls. Vodafone Idea recorded two out of 31, Airtel three out of 30, and BSNL four out of 43.
For mobile data performance, Reliance Jio achieved the fastest average 5G download speed of 250.71 Mbps, ahead of Airtel’s 146.26 Mbps. Vodafone Idea recorded 9.76 Mbps on 4G, while BSNL delivered 9.57 Mbps.
Upload speeds followed a similar pattern, with Reliance Jio leading at 22.81 Mbps, followed by Airtel at 15.77 Mbps. BSNL recorded 5.03 Mbps and Vodafone Idea delivered 5.00 Mbps.
The TRAI drive test shows that Reliance Jio consistently delivered the strongest mobile network experience across Hamirpur, Bilaspur and the Amb-Hamirpur highway, leading in 5G download and upload speeds, coverage quality and voice reliability. Airtel remained a strong competitor with robust coverage and excellent dropped-call performance, while BSNL and Vodafone Idea continued to trail on several key quality-of-service indicators, particularly coverage and mobile broadband speeds.
SHAFANA FAZAL
