TRAI Reports on Network Performance Across UP (East)

Lucknow :  The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the findings of its Independent Drive Tests (IDT) conducted across the UP (East) License Service Area (LSA) in February 2026. The assessment focused on the urban pockets of Hardoi and Shahjahanpur, as well as the critical Varanasi to Prayagraj railway corridor, to evaluate the real-world performance of 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks.

The audit, spanning February 16 to February 20, covered a total of 426 km of city roads and 123.2 km of railway tracks. By utilizing "Auto-selection" mode on test devices, TRAI simulated the actual user experience, where handsets switch between various generations of technology based on availability and signal strength.

The Call Setup Success Rate (CSSR) showed high efficiency for most private players, with Reliance Jio (RJIL) achieving a perfect 100% and Airtel following closely at 99.86%. Vodafone Idea (VIL) maintained a strong 99.44%, while BSNL lagged behind at 91.23%.

In terms of call stability, VIL recorded the best performance with a 0.00% Drop Call Rate (DCR). BSNL, however, struggled with a DCR of 2.75%, significantly higher than its private counterparts.

While call connection rates were generally high, the audit highlighted significant gaps in signal coverage, particularly during data usage:

City Routes: BSNL and VIL showed "Poor Signal Strength" during data testing at 31.13% and 32.37% respectively. Airtel and Jio performed better but still faced issues in approximately 15-18% of the tested areas.

Railway Routes: The Varanasi-Prayagraj rail route proved challenging for BSNL, which recorded poor signal strength across nearly 40% of the voice test route. In contrast, Jio and Airtel maintained much more stable footprints along the tracks, with poor signal occurrences staying below 10% for data in Jio's case.

TRAI has shared these granular findings with all Telecom Service Providers (TSPs), directing them to implement necessary infrastructure upgrades to address the identified "black spots" and improve the quality of service for commuters and residents in the UP (East) region.