Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the findings of its drive test conducted across Delhi Metro, Noida Metro, and Namo Bharat RRTS routes in April 2026, providing insights into the real-world performance of mobile operators including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea (Vi), and MTNL.
The network assessment covered 490 kilometers of metro corridors across Delhi-NCR between April 1-4 and April 14, 2026. The objective was to evaluate key Quality of Service (QoS) parameters such as network coverage, call drops, call setup success, and mobile data speeds to help telecom consumers make informed decisions.
Jio Delivers Fastest 5G Download Speeds in Delhi Metro
Reliance Jio emerged as the strongest performer in mobile data download speeds across metro routes. Jio’s 5G download speed reached 141.28 Mbps, significantly ahead of Airtel’s 81.72 Mbps and Vodafone Idea’s 23.94 Mbps.
MTNL, operating on a 4G network, recorded download speed of 4.30 Mbps.
The results indicate Jio’s leadership in delivering high-speed 5G connectivity for metro commuters, supporting bandwidth-intensive applications such as video streaming, gaming, and cloud services.
Average Download Speed
Reliance Jio: 141.28 Mbps (5G)
Bharti Airtel: 81.72 Mbps (5G)
Vodafone Idea: 23.94 Mbps (5G)
MTNL: 4.30 Mbps (4G)
Airtel Leads in 5G Upload Performance
While Jio dominated downloads, Airtel recorded the highest average upload speed at 25.98 Mbps, outperforming Jio’s 19.99 Mbps and Vodafone Idea’s 16.96 Mbps. MTNL reported an average upload speed of 1.84 Mbps.
Higher upload speeds benefit users engaged in video conferencing, content creation, cloud backups, and social media uploads while commuting.
Average Upload Speed
Bharti Airtel: 25.98 Mbps (5G)
Reliance Jio: 19.99 Mbps (5G)
Vodafone Idea: 16.96 Mbps (5G)
MTNL: 1.84 Mbps (4G)
Airtel and Jio Maintain Strong Coverage Across Metro Routes
Coverage gap analysis measured instances of poor signal strength across the tested routes. Airtel recorded 1,280 poor-signal samples out of 52,666 observations, while Jio reported 1,297 poor-signal samples out of 52,325 observations. Vodafone Idea registered 1,490 poor-signal samples from 52,753 observations.
MTNL experienced the highest coverage challenges, with 20,768 poor-signal samples recorded out of 43,220 observations.
The results demonstrate that Airtel and Jio delivered the most consistent network coverage across Delhi Metro corridors.
Airtel Records Lowest Call Drop Rate
Voice service quality remained strong for leading private operators. Airtel recorded only 5 dropped calls out of 491 successfully established calls, making it the best performer in call reliability.
Jio reported 8 dropped calls out of 487 successful calls, while Vodafone Idea recorded 10 dropped calls from 490 successful calls. MTNL experienced the highest call drop count, with 51 dropped calls out of 346 established calls.
Dropped Calls
Airtel: 5 out of 491 calls
Reliance Jio: 8 out of 487 calls
Vodafone Idea: 10 out of 490 calls
MTNL: 51 out of 346 calls
Metro Routes Covered in TRAI Drive Test
The drive test covered major metro corridors and public transport routes, including the Blue Line, Yellow Line, Pink Line, Violet Line, Magenta Line, Green Line, Red Line, Grey Line, Orange Line, Aqua Line, Rapid Metro Gurgaon, and the Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat RRTS corridor.
Key routes included Dwarka Sector-21 to Noida Electronic City, Samaypur Badli to Millennium City Centre, Raja Nahar Singh to Kashmere Gate, Shaheed Sthal to Rithala, Botanical Garden to Krishna Park Extension, and Delhi to Meerut RRTS.
Delhi Metro Network Performance Ranking
Based on overall performance, Reliance Jio emerged as the leader in 5G download speeds, while Airtel delivered the strongest combination of upload performance, coverage consistency, and call reliability. Vodafone Idea maintained competitive voice and data performance, while MTNL lagged behind private operators across most quality metrics.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH
