TRAI Fazilka Drive Test Reveals Wide Mobile Quality Gap
- What: TRAI Fazilka mobile network audit
- Who's affected: Telecom subscribers in Punjab LSA
- Top download speed: Jio at 271.44 Mbps
- Coverage laggard: BSNL with 1,575 gap points
A stark connectivity divide separates mobile operators across Punjab's southwestern border belt. Independent field audits by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India reveal Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel delivering average download speeds above 200 Mbps in Fazilka, while state-run BSNL and Vodafone Idea hovered below 18 Mbps.
Conducted under TRAI's Jaipur regional office, the assessment spanned 184 kilometres of transit routes, pedestrian walk tests, and six commercial hotspots across Abohar, Fazilka, and Jalalabad. Voice reliability diverged sharply between operators. Both Airtel and Jio maintained flawless connection records with zero dropped calls. In contrast, BSNL and Vodafone Idea each logged three dropped calls alongside multiple instances of voice silence lasting over three seconds.
Underlying signal consistency exposed significant service gaps for rural and peri-urban subscribers. BSNL logged deficient signal levels across 1,575 test points alongside uplink and downlink packet loss exceeding 2.6 percent. Vodafone Idea registered 820 weak signal samples, underscoring ongoing infrastructure constraints outside major urban centres.
TRAI has forwarded the granular failure coordinates and drive route maps directly to all four service providers to demand corrective radio tuning. The published findings empower local businesses and mobile subscribers with verified performance data, while pressing lagging telcos to upgrade legacy base stations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did TRAI's drive test in Fazilka assess?
TRAI evaluated real-time Quality of Service parameters including coverage gaps, call drop rates, call setup success, packet loss, and data speeds across 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks.
Which telecom operator recorded the fastest download speeds in Fazilka?
Reliance Jio achieved the highest average download speed at 271.44 Mbps, followed by Bharti Airtel at 204.39 Mbps.
Did any mobile operators experience call drops during the Fazilka audit?
BSNL and Vodafone Idea each recorded three dropped calls during testing, while Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio recorded zero dropped calls.
What action is TRAI taking based on the Fazilka drive test findings?
TRAI has shared the performance data and location-specific failure maps with all four service providers to mandate targeted radio optimization and network upgrades.
Source
PIB Press Release ID 2320599, Ministry of Communications · 2026-10-08
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