The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the findings of an Independent Drive Test (IDT) conducted across South Tripura district and adjoining areas to assess the real-time quality of mobile network services offered by telecom operators in the North East Licensed Service Area (LSA). The tests, carried out from May 13 to 16, 2026, evaluated voice and data performance of Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. (RJIL) and Vodafone Idea Ltd. (VIL) across city routes, hotspot locations and walk-test zones.
The survey covered 244.2 km of city drive routes, nine hotspot locations and 1.6 km of walk-test areas under the supervision of TRAI’s Regional Office, Kolkata. Key quality parameters assessed included coverage gaps, call setup success rate, dropped call rate, call silence, download and upload throughput, latency and packet loss. According to the report, Airtel recorded the highest average download speed at 88.67 Mbps, followed by RJIL at 46.11 Mbps, VIL at 35.19 Mbps and BSNL at 10.64 Mbps. Airtel also led upload performance with 17.32 Mbps, while BSNL, RJIL and VIL registered 3.25 Mbps, 3.83 Mbps and 6.84 Mbps, respectively. During voice testing, dropped calls stood at 9 out of 221 successful calls for Airtel, 22 out of 176 for BSNL, 2 out of 254 for RJIL and 24 out of 148 for VIL.
The drive covered areas including Belonia, Santirbazar, Jolaibari, Sabroom, Manu Bazar, Rajnagar, Baikhora, Gardhang and Matai, along with hotspot locations such as district hospitals, courts, educational institutions and Sabroom Railway Station. TRAI said the observations reflect network performance at the specific locations and time of testing, and the findings have been shared with telecom service providers for necessary corrective action. In Agartala, the report provides an important benchmark for telecom operators as demand for reliable mobile connectivity continues to rise across Tripura. Improved network quality is expected to support digital banking, e-governance, online education, healthcare services and business operations, while the findings are likely to encourage operators to strengthen infrastructure and enhance customer experience across the state.
