New Delhi, 01 July (H.S.): Reliance Jio delivered the strongest overall mobile network performance in the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) independent drive test conducted in Karnataka's Udupi district, outperforming rival operators on most key parameters, including download speed, network coverage and voice quality. State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), however, recorded the weakest performance in terms of coverage, call drops and data speeds.
According to the Ministry of Communications, TRAI conducted the independent drive test between March 17 and March 20 across Udupi district. The assessment covered 535.5 km of urban roads, 15 major hotspots, a 9.8-km walk-test route and coastal areas to evaluate the quality of mobile services provided by Bharti Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi).
The official report showed that Jio recorded the best network coverage. Of its 46,087 signal samples, only 4,561 were classified as weak-signal samples. Airtel recorded 5,304 weak-signal samples, Vodafone Idea 11,219 and BSNL the highest at 18,643.
In terms of call drops, Airtel emerged as the best performer, recording only one dropped call out of 420 successful calls. Jio recorded four dropped calls, Vodafone Idea 13 and BSNL the highest with 22.
For voice quality, measured by interruptions during calls, Jio performed comparatively better, recording 16 instances of voice interruptions in 402 calls. Airtel recorded 30 such instances, BSNL 22 and Vodafone Idea 32.
Jio also led in average download speed, recording 197.40 Mbps. Airtel followed with 96.45 Mbps, while Vodafone Idea registered 23.09 Mbps and BSNL recorded 5.65 Mbps.
In upload speed, Airtel ranked first with an average of 17 Mbps. Jio recorded 14.78 Mbps, Vodafone Idea 10.81 Mbps and BSNL 1.76 Mbps.
A separate assessment conducted in coastal areas, covering the Malpe Beach–St. Mary's Island route and the Kodi Kanyana Point–Saligrama route, also placed Jio at the top with an average download speed of 174.55 Mbps. Airtel recorded 89.41 Mbps, Vodafone Idea 9.68 Mbps and BSNL 3.91 Mbps.
The TRAI assessment covered several prominent locations across Udupi district, including Udupi Railway Station, Sri Krishna Temple, Manipal, Malpe Beach, Kundapura, Karkala, Padubidri and Byndoor.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
