The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India conducted independent drive tests across Hardoi and Shahjahanpur cities and on the Varanasi to Prayagraj railway route in February 2026. The agency performed drive tests covering 426 km of city routes, 123.2 km of railway routes and four point two km of walk tests between 16 and 20 February 2026. Technologies evaluated included 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G to reflect typical user experiences across handset capabilities.

On voice parameters, call setup success rate was recorded at 99.86 per cent for Airtel, 91.23 per cent for BSNL, 100.00 per cent for RJIL and 99.44 per cent for VIL in auto-selection mode. Drop call rate stood at 0.14 per cent, 2.75 per cent, 0.56 per cent and 0.00 per cent respectively, while call setup time averaged 1.21 seconds, 3.93 seconds, 0.65 seconds and 1.20 seconds. Mean Opinion Score values were 3.95, 2.54, 4.42 and 4.25 and call silence rates in packet switched networks were reported for selected operators.

Data performance showed average overall download speeds of 102.77 Mbps for Airtel, 6.77 Mbps for BSNL, 158.48 Mbps for RJIL and 38.39 Mbps for VIL, with corresponding upload speeds of 17.25 Mbps, 2.92 Mbps, 20.53 Mbps and 10.33 Mbps. 50th percentile latency was 42.63 ms, 37.56 ms, 19.88 ms and 32.61 ms respectively. Hotspot testing recorded higher 5G download peaks and varying 4G results across operators, indicating divergent performance between dense urban spots and wider route coverage.

The tests used TRAI calibrated equipment and standardised protocols and the findings have been intimated to the respective service providers for remedial action. The detailed report is published on the TRAI website and the regulator advised stakeholders to consult the document for operator level details. For clarification, an adviser at the regional office in Bhopal may be contacted via the published email and telephone number.