TRAI Mobile Network Quality Assessment for Balasore Region
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released findings from an Independent Drive Test (IDT) conducted across Balasore city and surrounding areas including Januganj, Mallikashpur, Remuna, Fuladi, Soro, Markona, Anantapur, Gopalpur, Jamujhadi, Gandibed, Santaragadia, Seragarh, Nilagiri, Amarda Road, Darada, Jamsuli, Chalanti, Nampo, Jaleswar, Baharda and Baliapal during August 18-20, 2026. The assessment was conducted under Odisha LSA and supervised by TRAI Regional Office Hyderabad, covering 345 kilometers of city drive routes and 7 specific hotspot locations.
The drive test evaluated four major Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) - Airtel, BSNL, RJIL (Reliance Jio), and VIL (Vodafone Idea) - across multiple network technologies (2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G) using advanced test handsets and real-time monitoring systems. The assessment measured key Quality of Service parameters including coverage gaps, call drop rates, call setup success rates, call silence instances, and data download/upload throughput.
Key Performance Findings
Coverage Performance: Airtel showed 1,029 poor signal strength samples out of 43,646 total samples (2.36% gap), with zero limited service instances. BSNL demonstrated the highest coverage issues with 6,758 poor signal samples out of 41,512 (16.28% gap) and 301 limited service instances. RJIL performed well with only 948 poor signal samples out of 42,851 (2.21% gap) and zero limited service. VIL showed 7,002 poor signal samples out of 42,776 (16.37% gap) and 61 limited service instances.
Call Quality Metrics: Call drop rates were lowest for RJIL at 3 dropped calls out of 387 established calls (0.78%), followed by Airtel with 4 drops out of 393 calls (1.02%), VIL with 8 drops out of 390 calls (2.05%), and BSNL with 11 drops out of 356 calls (3.09%). Call silence instances (silence >3 seconds) were most frequent for BSNL with 31 instances out of 356 calls (8.71%), followed by VIL with 9 out of 376 calls (2.39%), RJIL with 6 out of 372 calls (1.61%), and Airtel with 5 out of 375 calls (1.33%).
Data Performance: RJIL delivered the highest average download speed at 239.24 Mbps on 5G/4G networks, significantly outperforming other providers. Airtel achieved 67.10 Mbps on 5G/4G, VIL reached 24.65 Mbps on 5G/4G/2G, while BSNL, operating only on 3G technology, recorded 8.18 Mbps. For upload speeds, Airtel led with 16.61 Mbps, followed closely by RJIL at 16.28 Mbps, VIL at 11.05 Mbps, and BSNL at 3.71 Mbps.
Assessment Methodology and Scope
The drive test covered seven specific hotspot locations representing stationary user experience: Balasore Bus Stand, Chandaneswar Temple, Government District Hospital-Balasore, Jaleswar Railway Station, K K S Women College, Main Market Balasore, and Max Mall. The testing was conducted in auto-selection mode across all available network technologies to simulate real-world user experience.
The findings have been shared with respective TSPs for necessary corrective actions, and detailed reports including geographical mapping of coverage gaps, dropped call locations, and call silence instances are available on the TRAI website (www.trai.gov.in). For additional clarification, stakeholders can contact the TRAI Regional Office Hyderabad via email at adv.hyderabad@trai.gov.in or telephone 040-23000761.