Chennai: Reliance Jio recorded the highest average mobile data download speed among major telecom operators in Chennai during an independent drive test conducted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in July 2026.
The test, conducted from July 15 to 17, assessed real-time voice and data network performance of Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) across Chennai city.
TRAI covered 232.8km during the city drive, seven hotspot locations and 9.9km through walk tests. The assessment measured parameters including network coverage, dropped calls, call silence instances and data download and upload speeds.
Jio clocks 302.97 Mbps download speed
According to the TRAI findings, Jio recorded an average download speed of 302.97 Mbps on 5G/4G networks. Airtel recorded 125.49 Mbps, Vi 38.76 Mbps, while BSNL recorded 11.40 Mbps on its 3G network.
For upload speeds, Airtel recorded the highest average at 34.21 Mbps, followed by Jio at 30.43 Mbps, Vi at 25.22 Mbps and BSNL at 6.37 Mbps.
Airtel records no dropped calls
In the voice tests, Airtel recorded no dropped calls among 500 successfully established calls. Jio and Vi recorded one dropped call each, while BSNL recorded 12 dropped calls out of 499 successfully established calls.
Call silence instances lasting more than three seconds stood at three for Airtel, 38 for BSNL, two for Jio and three for Vi.
Coverage also assessed
TRAI measured coverage gaps based on samples where signal strength fell below the prescribed level for the respective technology.
The coverage-gap samples were 43 out of 57,398 for Airtel, 1,072 out of 56,431 for BSNL, 159 out of 55,815 for Jio and 54 out of 56,842 for Vi.
The authority clarified that the findings represent network performance on the routes and at the locations tested during the specific days and times of the drive test.
The exercise covered areas including Guindy, Saidapet, Mylapore, Egmore, George Town, Anna Nagar, Koyambedu and Chembarambakkam. Hotspots included Chennai Airport parking, Vadapalani Metro Station and VR Mall, while the walk test covered Chennai Airport’s runway and terminal.
TRAI said the findings had been shared with the respective telecom service providers for necessary action. Detailed drive-test reports have also been made available on the TRAI website.
