TRAI Publishes May 2025 Drive Test Results Across 13 Cities and Corridors

The tests evaluated both voice and data service quality across major telecom operators using 2G, 3G, 4G, and emerging 5G technologies.

In a continued effort to ensure quality and transparency in telecom services, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released its Independent Drive Test (IDT) results for May 2025, covering 13 cities, highway, railway, and coastal corridors in eight Licensed Service Areas (LSAs) across India. The tests evaluated both voice and data service quality across major telecom operators using 2G, 3G, 4G, and emerging 5G technologies.

The comprehensive testing exercise, conducted through a TRAI-appointed agency, provides real-world performance insights across diverse geographies including urban centers, pilgrimage towns, highways, railway routes, and coastal zones.

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Regions Covered in Drive Test Campaign

TRAI conducted tests in the following areas:

1. Ranchi City & Latehar District – Bihar LSA

2. Ahmedabad City, Ghogha Port, and Railway route to Bhavnagar – Gujarat LSA

3. Panipat City – Haryana LSA

4. Una & Mandi Cities and routes to/from New Delhi – Himachal Pradesh LSA

5. Chikmagaluru City and Bengaluru-Chikmagaluru Highway – Karnataka LSA

6. Chennai City – Tamil Nadu LSA

7. Ayodhya City – Uttar Pradesh (East) LSA

8. Moradabad City & Highway from Dehradun to Badrinath – Uttar Pradesh (West) LSA

Each site included a mix of city-wide drive tests, walk tests, and corridor-specific drive tests for highways, railways, and coastal areas.

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Operators and Technologies Assessed

The IDTs assessed network performance for the four major telecom service providers:

• Bharti Airtel Limited

• Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited

• Vodafone Idea Limited

• Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)

The tests used auto-selection and locked modes to benchmark services under standard usage conditions, in line with TRAI's Quality of Service (QoS) parameters.

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Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Evaluated

Voice Services:

• Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR)

• Call Drop Rate (DCR)

• Call Setup Time

• Call Silence Rate

• Speech Quality (MOS - Mean Opinion Score)

• Network Coverage

Data Services:

• Download and Upload Speeds

• Latency and Jitter

• Packet Drop Rate

• Video Streaming Buffer Delay

These KPIs reflect both the accessibility and user experience of voice and data services under real-life conditions.

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Highlights and Key Findings

• Panipat and Ayodhya recorded excellent performance in both Call Setup Success Rate and low Drop Call Rate, indicating robust voice networks.

• Data download and upload speeds were observed to be better in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Panipat, and Ranchi, especially on 4G and 5G networks.

• Ranchi and Una & Mandi reported relatively higher Drop Call Rates, which suggests room for improvement in network coverage and consistency.

• CSSR in Ahmedabad, Chikmagaluru, Moradabad, and Ranchi fell below TRAI’s benchmark of 98%, indicating connection issues during call initiation in these regions.

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Detailed Region-Wise Summary

S. No.	Region	Licensed Service Area	Test Period	Distance Covered
1	Ranchi & Latehar	Bihar	24–28 May 2025	218.6 km (City), 3.4 km (Walk)
2	Ahmedabad, Ghogha Port, Bhavnagar	Gujarat	05–14 May 2025	381.7 km (City), 247.1 km (Rail), 15.6 km (Coastal)
3	Panipat	Haryana	20–23 May 2025	254.7 km (City), 1.2 km (Walk)
4	Una & Mandi, Delhi–Una (Rail)	Himachal Pradesh	26–28 May 2025	116.6 km (City), 2.3 km (Walk), 283.9 km (Highway), 384.8 km (Railway)
5	Chikmagaluru, Bengaluru–Chikmagaluru	Karnataka	21–24 May 2025	308.7 km (City), 6.7 km (Walk), 239.8 km (Highway)
6	Chennai	Tamil Nadu	06–09 May 2025	398.6 km (City)
7	Ayodhya	Uttar Pradesh (East)	10–12 May 2025	215.8 km (City), 3.0 km (Walk)
8	Moradabad, Dehradun–Badrinath (Hwy)	Uttar Pradesh (West)	05–21 May 2025	278.3 km (City), 325 km (Highway)

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Accessing Detailed Results

The detailed reports for each test location are available as annexures (A to H) and can be accessed on TRAI’s official website: www.trai.gov.in

For clarifications or additional data, stakeholders may contact: Shri Tejpal Singh, Advisor (QoS-I), TRAI 📧 Email: adv-qos1@trai.gov.in 📞 Tel: +91-11-20907759

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TRAI's Commitment to Quality Assurance

TRAI continues to monitor and publish independent network performance data to empower consumers and guide regulatory action. These drive tests not only provide telecom operators with actionable insights but also highlight regional disparities that need urgent network optimization.

With mobile networks playing a crucial role in digital inclusion, online education, e-health, and remote work, such initiatives are vital in ensuring uniform quality of service across India, from metros to remote towns.