The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has published the results of an independent drive test conducted in August 2026 on the railway route between Kathgodam and Dehradun in Uttar Pradesh West LSA (Licensed Service Area). The test measured the real-time quality of mobile voice and data services provided by all four telecom operators across the route, which passes through towns including Haldwani, Rudrapur, Moradabad and Haridwar.
These drive tests are part of TRAI’s regular monitoring programme to assess how well telecom service providers deliver on their network quality obligations. The findings are released publicly to help consumers understand service reliability and to encourage operators to improve their performance.
Key facts
- Test conducted: August 2026 on Kathgodam to Dehradun railway route
- Distance covered: 335.8 kilometres
- Operators tested: Airtel, BSNL, Jio (RJIL) and Vodafone (VIL)
- Supervising office: TRAI Regional Office Bhopal
- Coverage gaps (poor signal): Airtel 2833, BSNL 6638, Jio 1734, Vodafone 2774 samples out of total samples collected
- Dropped calls: Airtel 5 out of 115, BSNL 24 out of 129, Jio 5 out of 124, Vodafone 6 out of 126 successfully established calls
- Average download speeds: Airtel 113.02 Mbps, BSNL 10.84 Mbps, Jio 156.76 Mbps, Vodafone 36.32 Mbps
- Average upload speeds: Airtel 16.60 Mbps, BSNL 4.83 Mbps, Jio 18.18 Mbps, Vodafone 8.47 Mbps
What was measured
TRAI’s independent drive test assessed multiple dimensions of service quality. For voice services, the test recorded call setup success rates, the proportion of calls that dropped, how long it took to establish a connection, instances where audio became muted during calls, and overall speech quality as perceived by listeners.
For data services, the test measured download and upload speeds, latency (delay in data transmission), jitter (variation in delay), and the rate at which data packets were lost during transmission. Coverage gaps were identified by checking signal strength at sampled locations and counting how many fell below the minimum acceptable threshold for each technology (2G, 3G, 4G or 5G).
How operators performed
On the Kathgodam to Dehradun route, Jio recorded the fastest average download speed at 156.76 Mbps, followed by Airtel at 113.02 Mbps. Vodafone achieved 36.32 Mbps while BSNL, operating on 4G technology, recorded 10.84 Mbps. For upload speeds, Jio led at 18.18 Mbps, followed by Airtel at 16.60 Mbps.
In terms of call drops, BSNL reported the highest rate with 24 dropped calls out of 129 successfully established calls (approximately 19%). Airtel, Jio and Vodafone each reported lower drop rates, ranging from around 4% to 5%.
Coverage gaps varied significantly. BSNL had the largest proportion of locations with poor signal strength (6638 out of 23597 samples, or about 28%), while Jio had the smallest gap at 1734 out of 23643 samples (approximately 7%). Airtel recorded 2833 out of 23986 samples with poor coverage (about 12%), and Vodafone recorded 2774 out of 24080 (approximately 11%).
Understanding the results
TRAI emphasises that these measurements reflect network performance on specific days and times during August 2026 on the Kathgodam to Dehradun route. Network performance can vary based on traffic congestion, weather, time of day and the number of users in an area. The railway route passes through diverse environments including cities, towns and smaller settlements, which affects how consistently operators maintain service quality.
The drive test was conducted under the supervision of TRAI’s Regional Office in Bhopal and captured real-world conditions rather than laboratory measurements. This approach helps identify coverage and quality issues that consumers actually experience.
What this means for you
If you travel regularly on this railway route or live in the towns it serves, these results provide benchmark data on which operator may offer the most reliable voice and data services. Jio appears to lead in download speeds, while BSNL shows the most coverage challenges. Frequent users may consider these findings when choosing a service provider or evaluating their current plan’s value.
The publication of these results creates accountability for operators and provides transparency to consumers about actual network performance rather than marketing claims alone.