New Delhi, November 9: A TRAI drive test along the 515.9 km railway route between New Tinsukia and Guwahati in Assam has found large differences in mobile network quality between operators, with Reliance Jio (RJIL) recording the fastest data speeds and BSNL and Vodafone Idea (VIL) the biggest coverage gaps.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) published the findings of the independent drive test on Monday. The test was carried out on 11 September 2026 by an agency appointed by TRAI, under the supervision of its Kolkata regional office. TRAI said results reflect conditions on the day and time of testing.
How the test was done
Live voice and data sessions were run using SIM cards from all operators across 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks, using several test handsets and real-time monitoring software. The route ran from New Tinsukia via Simaluguri Junction, Mariani Junction, Furkating Junction, Dimapur, Diphu and Lumding Junction to Guwahati. Two hotspot locations, Guwahati and New Tinsukia railway stations, were tested for stationary users.
Coverage gaps
TRAI measured the number of samples in which signal strength fell below the prescribed minimum. By its raw figures, Airtel recorded 4,754 such samples out of 32,385, RJIL 4,808 out of 33,296, BSNL 12,486 out of 25,698 and VIL 12,738 out of 27,285.
Dropped calls
Of the calls successfully established, Airtel dropped 5 out of 166, RJIL 9 out of 175, VIL 34 out of 164 and BSNL 65 out of 205.
Data speeds
Average download and upload speeds were 110.82 Mbps and 8.29 Mbps for RJIL (5G/4G), 42.71 Mbps and 11.75 Mbps for Airtel (5G/4G), 15.69 Mbps and 5.46 Mbps for VIL (4G/2G), and 5.00 Mbps and 3.25 Mbps for BSNL (4G/2G).
What happens next
TRAI said the findings have been shared with the operators for necessary action, and that the aim is to encourage them to improve service. Detailed reports and maps are available on the TRAI website. Queries can be sent to adv.kolkata@trai.gov.in.
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