Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the results of its drive test conducted on the Manoharpur to Dausa stretch of National Highway 148 (NH-148) in Rajasthan, highlighting the performance of major telecom operators including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and BSNL.
The drive test, conducted on May 2, 2026, covered 62.2 km under the supervision of TRAI’s Jaipur Regional Office. The assessment measured critical Quality of Service (QoS) indicators such as coverage, call drop rate, call setup success, voice quality, download speed, upload speed, latency, jitter, and packet loss across 5G, 4G, 3G, and 2G networks.
Reliance Jio Leads in Mobile Data Speed
Reliance Jio emerged as the strongest performer in mobile broadband, delivering the highest average download speed of 247.01 Mbps on its 5G and 4G network. Airtel secured second place with 102.80 Mbps, while Vodafone Idea recorded 35.97 Mbps. BSNL trailed significantly with an average download speed of 3.99 Mbps across its 4G, 3G, and 2G network.
Compared with operators’ declared typical download throughput, Airtel exceeded its benchmark of 1.14 Mbps by a wide margin, Jio outperformed its declared 15 Mbps, and Vi also surpassed its declared 15 Mbps. BSNL, however, fell short of its declared 5 Mbps.
Average Download Speed
Reliance Jio: 247.01 Mbps
Bharti Airtel: 102.80 Mbps
Vodafone Idea: 35.97 Mbps
BSNL: 3.99 Mbps
Airtel Delivers Fastest Upload Performance
Airtel recorded the best upload performance during the drive test with an average upload speed of 20.93 Mbps, narrowly ahead of Reliance Jio at 19.14 Mbps. Vodafone Idea achieved 17.25 Mbps, while BSNL managed 1.88 Mbps.
Against declared upload throughput, Airtel exceeded its stated 6.46 Mbps, Jio surpassed its 7 Mbps, and Vi outperformed its declared 8 Mbps. BSNL remained below its declared 3 Mbps.
Average Upload Speed
Bharti Airtel: 20.93 Mbps
Reliance Jio: 19.14 Mbps
Vodafone Idea: 17.25 Mbps
BSNL: 1.88 Mbps
Reliance Jio and Airtel Provide Best Highway Coverage
Coverage testing measured the number of samples with poor signal strength during voice testing.
Reliance Jio delivered the strongest coverage with only 189 poor-signal samples out of 4,072, followed closely by Airtel with 217 poor-signal samples out of 4,080. Vodafone Idea recorded 420 poor-signal samples out of 3,898, while BSNL experienced 2,213 poor-signal samples out of 3,338, along with 450 instances of no coverage.
Limited service or no coverage was zero for Airtel and Jio, compared with 156 instances for Vodafone Idea and 450 for BSNL.
Signal strength was classified as poor below minus 110 dBm for 5G and 4G, minus 90 dBm for 3G, and minus 85 dBm for 2G.
Airtel Records Zero Dropped Calls
Voice quality testing showed Airtel delivered the most reliable calling experience with zero dropped calls out of 20 successfully established calls.
Reliance Jio registered 1 dropped call out of 21, Vodafone Idea reported 2 dropped calls out of 21, while BSNL experienced the highest call drop rate with 6 dropped calls out of 18 successful calls.
Dropped Calls
Airtel: 0/20
Reliance Jio: 1/21
Vodafone Idea: 2/21
BSNL: 6/18
Vodafone Idea Excels in Call Silence Performance
TRAI also measured call silence instances lasting more than three seconds.
Vodafone Idea achieved the best result with zero call silence instances across 20 established calls. Airtel reported 2 silence instances across 21 calls, while Reliance Jio recorded 3 silence instances across 21 calls.
BSNL was not evaluated because 4G coverage was unavailable on the highway stretch during testing.
Call Silence Instances
Vodafone Idea: 0 instances (20 calls)
Bharti Airtel: 2 instances (21 calls)
Reliance Jio: 3 instances (21 calls)
BSNL: Not Applicable
The drive test covered the Manoharpur–Dausa NH-148 corridor, including Lakher, Nekawala, Chilpali Mod, Bahlor, Raisar, Pawta, Sankotra, Aandhi, Ramjipura and Jhera.
SHAFANA FAZAL
