TRAI Assesses Mobile Network Quality in Sonipat: Airtel Leads in Data Speeds, Voice Services Show Mixed Performance
New Delhi, January 9, 2026 – The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released its Independent Drive Test (IDT) findings for Sonipat city in Haryana, revealing significant variations in mobile network performance across the four major telecom service providers.
The comprehensive assessment, conducted in December 2025, evaluated the real-world quality of mobile network services across 188.4 kilometers of city roads and eight hotspot locations between December 2-4, 2025. The drive test covered all important areas of Sonipat including Nearby Seoli, Jatheri, Harsana Kalan, Jeevan Vihar, Sector 23, Sector 15, Model Town, Sector 33, Sector 12, Murthal Road, Kumashpur, and Bahalgarh.
Voice Services: Near-Perfect Call Setup, But Quality Varies
The voice service assessment revealed that Airtel, RJIL (Jio), and VIL (Vi) achieved perfect or near-perfect call setup success rates of 100%, 99.79%, and 100% respectively. However, BSNL lagged slightly behind with a 91.27% success rate.
Call setup time emerged as a critical differentiator. While Airtel maintained an impressive average of just 1.23 seconds, BSNL subscribers experienced significantly longer wait times averaging 6.59 seconds. Jio and Vi performed well with 0.66 and 0.69 seconds respectively.
Speech quality, measured through Mean Opinion Score (MOS) on a scale of 1-5, showed all operators delivering acceptable service. Vi led with a score of 4.43, followed closely by Jio at 4.37, while Airtel and BSNL recorded 3.97 and 3.45 respectively.
Data Services: Airtel Dominates, BSNL Struggles
The data services comparison painted a stark picture of the digital divide among operators. In auto-selection mode testing across 5G/4G/3G/2G networks, Airtel demonstrated exceptional performance with average download speeds of 230.90 Mbps and upload speeds of 37.81 Mbps.
Jio followed as a strong second with download speeds of 250.35 Mbps and upload speeds of 20.71 Mbps. However, BSNL’s performance lagged considerably with download speeds of just 14.66 Mbps and upload speeds of 4.27 Mbps. Vi recorded 37.99 Mbps download and 12.55 Mbps upload speeds.
Network latency, crucial for real-time applications and gaming, was lowest with Airtel at 15.91 milliseconds. Jio and Vi maintained competitive latencies of 18.09 ms and 17.67 ms respectively, while BSNL registered 24.97 ms.
Transparency and Consumer Awareness
TRAI conducts these independent drive tests to provide consumers with transparent information about actual network quality, moving beyond the claims made by service providers in their marketing materials. The tests use multiple advanced handsets with sessions monitored in real-time using sophisticated software systems.
The findings have been shared with respective telecom service providers for necessary corrective action. TRAI emphasized that the purpose of these assessments is not just to inform consumers but also to encourage operators to improve their services.
Detailed reports are available on the TRAI website at www.trai.gov.in. Consumers seeking clarification or wishing to provide additional feedback can contact TRAI’s Regional Office in Jaipur at [email protected] or call +91-141-2701919.
The results are published in newspapers and on the TRAI website as part of the regulator’s ongoing commitment to transparency in the telecom sector and consumer empowerment through information.
For more information, visit www.trai.gov.in
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