TRAI Releases Drive Test Performance Report for Balasore, Odisha

Overview of Independent Drive Test (IDT)

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has published the results of an Independent Drive Test (IDT) conducted in the Balasore district of Odisha. The testing took place between August 18 and August 20, 2026, covering 345 kilometers and seven specific hotspot locations across the region, including Balasore city, Remuna, Soro, and Jaleswar.

Key Performance Metrics

The report evaluates the network quality of four major Telecom Service Providers (TSPs): Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio (RJIL), and Vodafone Idea (VIL).

Network Coverage

The testing measured signal strength against industry standards (below -110 dBm for 4G/5G, -90 dBm for 3G, and -85 dBm for 2G). Findings regarding signal quality included:

• Airtel: 1,029 samples recorded with poor signal strength.
• BSNL: 6,758 samples with poor signal strength and 301 samples with no service.
• Reliance Jio: 948 samples with poor signal strength.
• Vodafone Idea: 7,002 samples with poor signal strength and 61 samples with no service.

Call Reliability

Call performance was assessed in auto-selection mode (5G/4G/3G/2G). The data noted instances of dropped calls and call silence (where audio dropouts persisted for over three seconds):

• Dropped Calls: BSNL recorded 11 dropped calls, followed by VIL with 8, Airtel with 4, and RJIL with 3.
• Call Silence: BSNL experienced the highest number of silence instances (31), followed by VIL (9), RJIL (6), and Airtel (5).

Data Throughput Performance

Average download throughput was measured against the speeds declared by the service providers. All four operators exceeded their declared benchmarks during the test period:

• Reliance Jio: Measured 239.24 Mbits/s (Declared: 15.00 Mbits/s)
• Airtel: Measured 67.10 Mbits/s (Declared: 23.00 Mbits/s)
• Vodafone Idea: Measured 24.65 Mbits/s (Declared: 15.00 Mbits/s)
• BSNL: Measured 8.18 Mbits/s (Declared: 6.34 Mbits/s)

Verification

These findings are based on the official TRAI Press Release No. 128 (2026). Stakeholders can verify the original findings and view detailed location-specific data, including latitude and longitude of specific performance failures, by accessing the full technical document hosted on the official TRAI website at trai.gov.in.