The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has released the results of its Independent Drive Test for the Delhi Licensed Service Area, highlighting how major telecom operators performed across real world voice and data usage conditions during December 2025. The findings provide a detailed snapshot of mobile network quality in one of India’s most congested and high traffic telecom markets.
Scope and methodology of the Delhi drive test
The Independent Drive Test was conducted under the supervision of the TRAI Regional Office in Delhi between 15 December and 18 December 2025. The assessment covered 347.4 kilometers of city drive testing, 7.8 kilometers of walk testing, and performance evaluation at 12 hotspot locations.
TRAI tested 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks to reflect the experience of users with different handset capabilities. The results have already been shared with all telecom service providers for review and necessary action.
Voice service performance highlights
Voice services were assessed using key quality parameters including call setup success rate, drop call rate, call setup time, call silence rate, speech quality measured through Mean Opinion Score, and overall coverage.
Airtel delivered the strongest voice performance in Delhi, achieving a call setup success rate of 100.00 percent in auto selection mode across 5G, 4G, 3G, and 2G. Vodafone Idea followed closely with 99.64 percent, while Reliance Jio recorded 98.36 percent. MTNL trailed the private operators with a call setup success rate of 95.23 percent.
Drop call performance further highlighted network differences. Vodafone Idea reported zero percent drop calls, while Airtel recorded a low 0.12 percent and Reliance Jio posted 0.36 percent. MTNL showed a significantly higher drop call rate of 6.60 percent, indicating weaker call retention under real world conditions.
Coverage across dense urban and public locations
The Delhi assessment covered a wide range of high density residential and commercial areas, including Hauz Khas, Greater Kailash, Lajpat Nagar, Khan Market, Paharganj, Janpath Market, Rajinder Nagar, Punjabi Bagh, Ashok Vihar, Model Town, Jahangirpuri, Balli Maran, and Vishwavidyalaya.
TRAI also evaluated mobile performance at major public, institutional, and transport hubs such as Birla Mandir, Delhi Public School R K Puram, Tis Hazari Courts, Hauz Khas Metro Station, India Gate, ISBT Kashmere Gate, Jama Masjid, New Delhi Railway Station, Rashtrapati Bhawan, Red Fort, Sarojini Nagar Market, and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
Walk test insights from crowded markets
The walk test, conducted on 18 December 2025, focused on Connaught Place Market and Chandni Chowk Market. These locations were selected to capture mobile network behavior in crowded pedestrian environments with high call and data demand. The tests reflected how networks perform under peak footfall and heavy usage scenarios.
Overall assessment
The December 2025 TRAI Independent Drive Test results show strong overall mobile network performance in Delhi, with private operators clearly outperforming MTNL on key voice reliability indicators. Airtel emerged as the leader in call setup success, while Vodafone Idea delivered the lowest drop call rate. The findings underline continued improvements in network quality by private operators, while also pointing to the need for MTNL to strengthen coverage and call reliability in dense urban and public locations.
The TRAI assessment for Delhi shows strong overall performance by private telecom operators in both voice and data services, with MTNL lagging behind on most parameters. In voice services, Airtel achieved a perfect call setup success rate of 100.00 percent, followed by Vodafone Idea at 99.64 percent and Reliance Jio at 98.36 percent, while MTNL recorded a lower 95.23 percent. Call setup times were fastest on Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio at under 0.60 seconds, compared with 3.27 seconds for MTNL. Drop call rates remained minimal for private operators, with Vodafone Idea reporting zero percent, while MTNL showed a significantly higher drop call rate of 6.60 percent. Voice quality, measured by Mean Opinion Score, was strongest on Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea at 4.44, whereas MTNL recorded the lowest score at 2.75.
In data services, Reliance Jio led overall performance with the highest average download speed of 265.51 Mbps, followed by Airtel at 168.92 Mbps. Vodafone Idea delivered moderate speeds, while MTNL’s 3G network recorded very low download and upload performance. Latency levels were broadly comparable among private operators, with Reliance Jio posting the lowest response time. Hotspot testing reinforced these trends, showing strong 5G throughput from Reliance Jio and Airtel, while Vodafone Idea performed moderately and MTNL lacked competitive high speed capability.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH
