Hyderabad: State-run BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) has emerged as the worst performer across multiple parameters when it comes to network quality in Hyderabad, reveal the findings of an independent drive test released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).The exercise, conducted in May 2026, measured network performance across Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea on key quality parameters, including coverage, call setup success rate, dropped calls, call silence, as well as download and upload speeds to assess the real-time quality of mobile voice and data services provided by telecom operators in the Andhra Pradesh Licensed Service Area.According to the telecom regulator, the drive test was carried out using SIM cards from all telecom service providers across 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks, with multiple advanced handsets and software systems being used to establish and monitor live voice and data sessions in real time.In all these tests, BSNL proved to be a laggard across all parameters when compared with private sector players. On coverage, TRAI found that poor signal strength samples during voice testing stood at 247 out of 22,317 samples for Airtel, 3,763 out of 21,201 for BSNL, 319 out of 22,063 for Jio and 566 out of 22,416 for Vodafone Idea.Also, limited service or no coverage was observed in 44 samples for BSNL, while Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea recorded no such samples.In voice services, BSNL recorded eight dropped calls out of 197 successfully established calls, while Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea recorded no dropped calls during the drive test.Call silence instances lasting more than three seconds were recorded at two out of 197 for Airtel, 10 out of 170 for BSNL, none for Jio and two for Vodafone Idea.Data performance showed Jio recording the highest average download speed at 222.12 Mbps across 5G and 4G networks, followed by Airtel at 66.32 Mbps across 5G and 4G, while Vodafone Idea clocked 59.61 Mbps across 5G, 4G and 2G, and BSNL recorded 5.55 Mbps on 3G.The average upload speeds were 24.54 Mbps for Airtel, followed by Jio with 19.43 Mbps, 13.17 Mbps for Vodafone Idea and 2.54 Mbps for BSNL.The tests, conducted from May 14 to May 16 under the supervision of TRAI’s Regional Office in Hyderabad, covered 157.9 km of city drive routes, 12 hotspot locations and 3.1 km of walk tests.The city drive covered areas including Nallagandla, Hafeezpet, Madhapur, Dargah Road, Ameerpet, Mehdipatnam, Shamshabad, Pahadi Shareef Road, Shaheen Nagar, Imamguda and Engine Bowli Cross Road.Hotspot testing, on the other hand, was carried out at Aditya Fort View Villas, AIG Hospital, D-Mart Shaikpet, Hitec City, IKEA, KIMS Hospitals in Secunderabad, Lingampally Railway Station, Mind Space, RTA Office Kondapur, Sumadhura Acropolis and SMR Vinay Iconia.The walk tests were conducted at KIMS Hospitals, Secunderabad, to capture mobile network performance in crowded pedestrian conditions.TRAI said the observations represent operator performance only along the tested routes and at the specific time of the drive test and that the findings have been shared with the telecom service providers for necessary action. The regulator said the tests were aimed at informing consumers and encouraging service providers to improve mobile network performance.
