The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released findings from an Independent Drive Test conducted across Leh and nearby areas in Jammu & Kashmir LSA during August 17-21, 2026. The assessment evaluated mobile network services quality provided by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) including Airtel, BSNL, and RJIL, covering key Quality of Service parameters such as coverage, call drop rates, call setup success rates, and data throughput speeds.

Test Methodology and Coverage

The drive test covered 62.6 km of city driving, 396.3 km of highway driving, 7 hotspot locations, 1.1 km of walk tests, and inter-operator calling at 1 location. Testing was conducted using multiple advanced test handsets with SIM cards from all TSPs over 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks, supervised by TRAI's Regional Office Delhi.

Key Performance Findings

Leh, Nubra Valley and Pangong Areas Route

Coverage gap (samples with poor signal strength) was observed at 583 out of 9,318 samples for Airtel, 966 out of 8,977 for BSNL, and 770 out of 8,371 for RJIL. Dropped calls in auto-selection mode were 0 out of 83 for Airtel, 5 out of 77 for BSNL, and 1 out of 76 for RJIL. Call silence instances (>3 seconds) were recorded at 2 out of 75 for Airtel, 2 out of 75 for BSNL, and 1 out of 72 for RJIL. Data download performance showed average speeds of 121.65 Mbps for Airtel (5G), 8.00 Mbps for BSNL (4G), and 267.13 Mbps for RJIL (5G). Upload speeds averaged 22.13 Mbps for Airtel, 4.87 Mbps for BSNL, and 21.20 Mbps for RJIL.

Leh to Nubra Valley Highway Route

Coverage gaps were significantly higher with 4,040 out of 11,146 samples for Airtel, 3,361 out of 11,313 for BSNL, and 3,530 out of 9,209 for RJIL showing poor signal strength. Dropped calls increased to 12 out of 108 for Airtel, 13 out of 95 for BSNL, and 4 out of 85 for RJIL. Call silence instances were observed at 14 out of 91 for Airtel, 6 out of 71 for BSNL, and 16 out of 78 for RJIL. Data download speeds averaged 109.57 Mbps for Airtel (5G), 16.39 Mbps for BSNL (4G), and 122.16 Mbps for RJIL (5G), while upload speeds were 14.21 Mbps for Airtel, 7.81 Mbps for BSNL, and 12.02 Mbps for RJIL.

Nubra Valley to Pangong Highway Route

Coverage gaps remained substantial with 4,950 out of 12,272 samples for Airtel, 3,203 out of 12,041 for BSNL, and 5,105 out of 9,930 for RJIL showing poor signal. Dropped calls were recorded at 11 out of 67 for Airtel, 17 out of 64 for BSNL, and 16 out of 60 for RJIL. Call silence instances were highest on this route at 18 out of 66 for Airtel, 16 out of 59 for BSNL, and 24 out of 52 for RJIL. Data download speeds decreased to 80.59 Mbps for Airtel (5G), 8.86 Mbps for BSNL (4G), and 44.48 Mbps for RJIL (5G), with upload speeds at 14.69 Mbps for Airtel, 3.51 Mbps for BSNL, and 3.94 Mbps for RJIL.

Sakti to Sangam Highway Route

Coverage gaps showed 800 out of 6,295 samples for Airtel, 2,140 out of 6,252 for BSNL, and 893 out of 5,597 for RJIL with poor signal. Dropped calls were relatively lower at 1 out of 32 for Airtel, 5 out of 27 for BSNL, and 2 out of 30 for RJIL. Call silence instances varied significantly with 2 out of 31 for Airtel, 15 out of 26 for BSNL, and 5 out of 30 for RJIL. Data download performance showed averages of 96.97 Mbps for Airtel (5G), 6.00 Mbps for BSNL (4G), and 203.25 Mbps for RJIL (5G), while upload speeds were 14.67 Mbps for Airtel, 4.14 Mbps for BSNL, and 18.84 Mbps for RJIL.

Geographic Coverage Details

The testing covered city areas including Lakjung, Tsati, Yurtung, Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Leh Palace, Sankar Gompa, Leh, Choglamsar and Spituk. Highway routes included Leh to Nubra Valley via Power House, View Point Khadungla road, South Pullu, Shiv Shankar Temple, North Pullu, Khardung Viewpoint, Khalsar and Diskit; Nubra Valley to Pangong via Tsati, Agham, Sakti, Zingral, Tsoltak, Tangtse, Muglib, Spangmik and Pangong beach; and Sakti to Sangam via Chemrey, Karu, Thiksey, Shey, Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport, Indus Viewpoint and Sangam Point. Hotspot locations included Army Hospital Hundar, Artisan Bazaar, EJM College, Gurudwara Sri Pathar Sahib, Leh Airport, Leh Market, and SNM Hospital.

The findings have been shared with respective TSPs for necessary action, and detailed reports are available on the TRAI website at www.trai.gov.in.