TRAI Releases Mobile Network Quality Findings from Vadodara Drive Test 2025

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has published the results of its Independent Drive Test (IDT) conducted in Vadodara city between 15–18 July 2025, aimed at assessing the real-world quality of voice and data services provided by leading Telecom Service Providers (TSPs).

The drive test, conducted through an appointed agency under the supervision of TRAI’s Regional Office in Jaipur, covered 388 kilometres of city roads, 12 hotspot locations, and a 2 km walk test across major public areas including Vadodara Railway Station, Sayajigunj, Manjalpur, Gotri, Akota, Sursagar Lake, Parul University, and the city bus stand.

The exercise sought to capture key performance indicators (KPIs) for both voice and data services, enabling consumers to make informed choices while encouraging telecom operators to improve service standards.

Key Findings: Voice Services

The IDT measured Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR), Call Setup Time (CST), Drop Call Rate (DCR), Call Silence Rate (Mute Call), and Mean Opinion Score (MOS) across Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio (RJIL), and Vodafone Idea (VIL).

Highlights:

• Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR): Reliance Jio achieved 100%, followed closely by Airtel (99.82%). BSNL lagged at 92.39%, while Vodafone Idea recorded a lower 76.81%.

• Call Setup Time (CST): Jio had the fastest connection at 0.66 seconds, followed by VIL (0.71s), Airtel (1.21s), and BSNL (1.56s).

• Drop Call Rate (DCR): Airtel, Jio, and VIL reported 0% call drops, while BSNL recorded 0.73%.

• Call Silence Rate: BSNL fared poorly with 14.56% mute calls, compared to Airtel (0%), Jio (0.56%), and VIL (0.73%).

• Mean Opinion Score (MOS – voice quality): VIL scored highest with 4.46/5, followed by Airtel (4.04), Jio (3.97), and BSNL (3.12).

Key Findings: Data Services

Performance was evaluated across download and upload speeds, along with latency (response time).

Highlights:

• Download Speed: Jio led with 284.19 Mbps, Airtel followed with 198.98 Mbps, VIL stood at 53.54 Mbps, while BSNL lagged at just 3.87 Mbps.

• Upload Speed: Jio again topped at 44.88 Mbps, Airtel at 36.64 Mbps, VIL at 17.36 Mbps, and BSNL at 7.03 Mbps.

• Latency (lower is better): Jio had the lowest latency at 13.65 ms, followed by VIL (22.55 ms), BSNL (27.45 ms), and Airtel (39.90 ms).

Why the Drive Test Matters

TRAI conducts IDTs periodically across India to evaluate how telecom networks perform in real-world conditions across different environments—urban zones, hotspots, and transit hubs.

Unlike lab-based benchmarks, IDTs use live SIM cards across 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks, with advanced devices capturing performance data in real time. Parameters such as call drops, mute calls, speech clarity, data throughput, and latency directly reflect consumer experience.

Consumer and Industry Impact

The findings will help:

• Consumers – to make informed choices based on service quality.

• Operators – to identify gaps in coverage, network optimisation, and service delivery.

• Policymakers – to monitor compliance with quality of service standards and push for improvements.

TRAI emphasised that such comparative reports encourage healthy competition among TSPs, driving them to improve connectivity, coverage, and reliability, especially in growing urban centres like Vadodara.

Looking Ahead

With the rollout of 5G services and increasing consumer demand for high-speed internet and reliable voice services, TRAI’s IDTs will play a critical role in benchmarking telecom quality.

The Vadodara test reflects broader trends: while private operators like Reliance Jio and Airtel dominate in both data and voice, BSNL continues to face quality challenges, and Vodafone Idea shows mixed results with strong voice quality but weaker network reach.

As India marches toward becoming a digitally connected economy, continuous monitoring and public reporting of telecom performance will remain essential in bridging service gaps and ensuring consumers receive the quality they are promised.