TRAI assesses network quality across Pune and surrounding areas

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the results of its Independent Drive Test (IDT) conducted across Pune city and adjoining areas to assess network performance. The detailed evaluation, carried out between September 8 and 12, 2025 , covered multiple mobile technologies - 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G - to gauge real-world user experience in varied environments. The tests, overseen by the TRAI Regional Office, Bengaluru, spanned 415.5 km , including 379.9 km city routes , 27 km metro corridors , 14 hotspot zones , and 8.6 km pedestrian walk tests . The assessment focused on key performance indicators such as call setup success, voice clarity, data speed, latency and video-streaming quality.

Voice services: Jio leads in call success, Airtel tops in voice quality

Among telecom operators, Jio recorded the highest Call Setup Success Rate (99.18 %), followed by Airtel (95.33 %), Vodafone Idea (96.54 %) and BSNL (94.03 %). In terms of call-setup time, Jio and Airtel led with 0.87 s and 0.89 s respectively, while BSNL noted 4.13 s. For drop-call rate, Airtel and Jio remained low at 0.43 % and 0.62 % respectively, compared to BSNL’s 3.94 %. On voice clarity (Mean Opinion Score, MOS), Airtel and Vodafone Idea scored 3.98 and 3.97, Jio 3.79, and BSNL 2.48.

Data services: Jio leads in speed, Airtel close behind

In overall data performance, Jio achieved the highest average download speed at 143.94 Mbps, followed by Airtel at 90.05 Mbps, Vodafone Idea at 26.45 Mbps and BSNL lagging at 1.26 Mbps. For upload speeds, Jio again led with 20.77 Mbps, followed by Airtel (17.33 Mbps), Vodafone Idea (11.36 Mbps) and BSNL (2.09 Mbps). Latency (50th percentile) stood at 22.80 ms for Vodafone Idea, 24.15 ms for Airtel, 29.25 ms for Jio and 58.50 ms for BSNL. At public hotspots, 5G performance was strong: Airtel’s 5G download at 178.70 Mbps and upload 19.49 Mbps; Jio’s 5G download 157.02 Mbps and upload 18.34 Mbps.

Comprehensive testing across key city points

TRAI’s teams conducted detailed assessments across high-density neighbourhoods such as Chakan, Talegaon Dabhade, Ravet, Pirangut, Kothrud, Bibwewadi, Loni Kalbhor, Wagholi, Alandi and Bhosari. Institutional and public-hotspot sites included: Aga Khan Palace, Botanical Garden, ISKCON Pune, Hinjawadi IT Hub, Phoenix Mall, Pune University, Raja Dinkar Kolkar Museum, Rajiv Gandhi Zoo Park, RTO Office, Shaniwar Wada, Chintamani Vinayaka Temple, Deccan Gymkhana Hospital, Westend Mall. Walk-tests in crowded pedestrian zones were done at Kamala Nehru Hospital, Maharashtra Mandai, Pune Bus Stand and Pune Railway Station.

Metro-drive tests covered Aqua Line (Ramwadi–Vanaz) and Purple Line (Swargate–PCMC) to assess commuter route experience. Tests were executed using TRAI-calibrated equipment and standardized protocols; the detailed report is available on TRAI’s official website. For further details, Shri Brajendra Kumar (Advisor, TRAI Regional Office Bengaluru) may be contacted.

Recent Developments & Consumer Frustration

While the IDT results show strong performance for certain operators in Pune, there are growing signs of consumer dissatisfaction and service-quality deterioration across India — factors which risk undermining user experience even in relatively well-performing urban areas like Pune.

A recent report notes that the Minister of State for Communications, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, has flagged concerns over persistent issues of call-drops, network coverage and mobile number portability, and urged telecom operators to improve service quality and consumer grievance resolution. Nationally, awareness of call-drop and network-connectivity complaints is rising; instances of mass outages are being reported. For example, there were widespread reports of an outage for Airtel on August 24, 2025 thousands of users reported voice and data service disruptions.

Locally in Pune, users of BSNL have reported internet, phone and total-blackout issues in recent times across several postal codes. Meanwhile, the regulatory regime is evolving: TRAI’s new norms now mandate that telcos must compensate subscribers if service outages at district-level exceed 24 hours.

These developments show a contrast: while the drive-test figures for voice/data are objectively strong for some operators in Pune, consumer perception and everyday experience may still be falling short especially in light of increased usage, high expectations in the 5G era, and rising tariff pressures.

Tariff pressures & Usage trends

Another under-addressed dimension is tariff/usage pressure. With the proliferation of streaming, work-from-home, OTT content and 5G use-cases, data‐traffic continues to surge. At the same time, recharge fares and plan costs remain elevated, raising the stakes for consumers who expect seamless high-quality service. Though exact Pune-specific tariff comparatives weren’t available in the public summary, anecdotal consumer feedback suggests that users feel they are paying more and getting less especially when they confront poor signal indoors, frequent call drops, or degraded internet speed. This expectation gap is harder for operators and regulators to ignore, particularly as urban users treat connectivity as a basic utility rather than a premium service.

Why this matters for Pune

Pune is evolving rapidl y as a digital-first city, with large IT/ITeS presence in Hinjawadi, large student populations, growing metro/infra projects, and high mobility corridors. Poor network quality or call/data disruptions have ripple effects not only for individual consumers, but also for businesses, IT firms, remote workers, commuters and service-providers. Operators must therefore look beyond raw metrics (like Mbps & latency) to holistic user experience: indoor signal quality, consistency during peak hours, seamless hand-offs across metro/auto corridors, quick complaint resolution and affordability of plans relative to expectation. For regulators like TRAI, the balance is between ensuring growth of 5G & infrastructure investment and protecting consumer interest e specially given the reported consumer frustrations.

Looking forward

Operators in the Pune Licensed Service Area (LSA) have received detailed submissions from TRAI on the drive-test findings, and are expected to act on coverage/quality gaps but the onus is also on them to proactively track and respond to real-time user complaints, especially on call quality and internet reliability. Meanwhile, consumers should be empowered: they can register complaints via the operator’s complaint centre and escalate to the appellate authority if unresolved. TRAI’s grievance-redressal norms require timely resolution. Given rising demands and high tariff expectations, operators that deliver consistent experience not just peak speeds will likely win trust and continue to retain high-value urban customers.