The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has released the results of its Independent Drive Test for the Assam Licensed Service Area, covering extensive routes across Barpeta and Bongaigaon districts. Conducted between 28 and 31 October 2025 under the supervision of the TRAI Regional Office in Kolkata, the assessment evaluated real-world mobile service performance across urban centres, institutional zones, business areas and rural locations. Over 230 kilometres were covered through drive tests, in addition to eight hotspot sites and walk tests spanning 1.1 kilometres. The findings have been shared with all concerned telecom service providers.

The evaluation covered 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks to reflect the experience of users on different devices. Key voice parameters assessed included call setup success rate, call drop rate, setup time, silence rate, speech quality and coverage. Data metrics included download and upload throughput, latency, jitter, packet drop and video streaming delay.

In the combined results for Barpeta and Bongaigaon, Airtel, RJIL and VIL recorded near-perfect call setup success rates in auto-selection mode, at 100 per cent, 100 per cent and 99.39 per cent respectively, while BSNL stood at 86.52 per cent. Drop call rates were lowest for Airtel and RJIL at zero, while VIL recorded 0.93 per cent and BSNL 4.22 per cent. On the data front, 5G services delivered peak average download speeds of 231.53 Mbps and upload speeds of 21.43 Mbps during city drive testing.

Signal strength gaps were also noted. Poor signal conditions in auto-selection mode were observed along 3.26 per cent of the test route for Airtel, 47.09 per cent for BSNL, 3.34 per cent for RJIL and 9.98 per cent for VIL.

Testing covered key areas such as Simlaguri, Bongaigaon, Sorbhog, Barpeta, Jania, Howly and Kalgachia. Static assessments were conducted at major institutions including Baosi Banikanta Kakati College, Bongaigaon College, Bongaigaon Engineering College, the DC Office Barpeta and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College. A walk test was also carried out at New Bongaigaon Junction Railway Station.

News source: PIB