The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) released findings from its Independent Drive Test (IDT) conducted across South Delhi and nearby areas under Delhi LSA during July 6-10, 2026. The assessment aimed to verify real-time quality of mobile network services (both voice and data) provided by Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) using advanced test handsets and software systems across diverse usage environments.
Testing Methodology and Coverage
The drive test covered 310.4 km of city driving, 6 hotspot locations, and 5.5 km of walk tests, with inter-operator calling at 1 location. The areas assessed included Dwarka, Uttam Nagar, Janakpuri, Mahipalpur, Malviya Nagar, Saket, Lajpat Nagar, Naraina, Patel Nagar, Karol Bagh, Vande Mataram Marg, Mayur Vihar, and Noida Sector 62. Hotspot locations included Administrative Building IIT Delhi, AIIMS OPD Area, Bhikaji Cama Place Metro Station, Delhi Public School R.K Puram, Hauz Khas Metro Station, and ISBT Sarai Kale Khan. Walk tests were conducted at Dilli Haat INA, Sarojini Nagar Market, and WTC Nauroji Nagar to capture mobile network behavior in crowded pedestrian environments.
Key Performance Metrics
Coverage gap analysis revealed significant disparities among operators. Airtel showed 610 out of 76,581 samples (0.8%) with poor signal strength, MTNL demonstrated 50,483 out of 72,804 samples (69.3%) with coverage issues, RJIL had 1,050 out of 75,172 samples (1.4%) with poor coverage, and VIL showed 527 out of 76,883 samples (0.7%) with signal strength below minimum prescribed levels.
Voice service performance varied considerably. Call drop rates in auto-selection mode were 3 out of 684 calls (0.4%) for Airtel, 99 out of 661 calls (15%) for MTNL, 1 out of 684 calls (0.1%) for RJIL, and 3 out of 689 calls (0.4%) for VIL. Call silence instances (silence >3 seconds) were observed in 11 out of 657 calls for Airtel, 14 out of 651 calls for RJIL, and 12 out of 661 calls for VIL.
Data service performance showed substantial differences in throughput. For 5G services, Airtel achieved average download speeds of 176.82 Mbps and upload speeds of 24.83 Mbps, RJIL delivered 257.03 Mbps download and 18.98 Mbps upload speeds, while VIL recorded 35.07 Mbps download and 20.70 Mbps upload speeds. MTNL, operating on 3G technology, showed significantly lower performance with 4.69 Mbps download and 1.15 Mbps upload speeds.
The findings have been shared with respective TSPs for necessary corrective actions, and detailed reports are available on the TRAI website at www.trai.gov.in. The assessment represents network performance specifically on the tested routes and times during the July 6-10, 2026 testing period.