TRAI Drive Test in Sundarbans: Airtel and Jio Lead 5G Performance, BSNL Lags in Coastal Route

Why It Matters

The results highlight a clear competitive edge for private operators in India’s rural 5G rollout, pressuring lagging players like BSNL to upgrade infrastructure and shaping market dynamics in underserved regions.

Key Takeaways

• Airtel and Jio achieved 100% call setup success
• BSNL call setup success fell below 20% on coastal route
• Jio led 5G download speed at 60.4 Mbps
• Jio latency lowest at 34.8 ms, enhancing real-time apps
• Signal gaps persisted across all operators in remote stretches

Pulse Analysis

The recent TRAI drive test underscores how regulatory benchmarking can illuminate the state of telecom infrastructure in geographically challenging markets. The Sundarbans, with its maze of rivers and ecologically sensitive zones, presents a unique testbed for assessing network resilience. By measuring voice, data, latency and signal strength across 2G to 5G layers, TRAI provides operators and policymakers a granular view of service quality where traditional urban metrics fall short.

Performance differentials were stark. Airtel and Jio not only delivered flawless call‑setup rates but also topped 5G throughput, with Jio reaching 60.4 Mbps download and 17.5 Mbps upload speeds. Their latency figures—34.8 ms for Jio and 69.8 ms for Airtel—support seamless video calls and low‑lag gaming, crucial for both residents and the growing eco‑tourism sector. In contrast, BSNL’s sub‑20 % call success, 8.9 % drop rate and latency above 150 ms reveal a pressing need for network densification and spectrum optimization.

The broader industry implication is a heightened urgency for investment in rural and coastal backhaul, especially as India pushes toward universal 5G coverage. Operators that can bridge the signal gaps identified by the test will capture new subscriber bases and strengthen their position in upcoming spectrum auctions. Meanwhile, regulators may consider incentivizing infrastructure sharing and green tower deployments to balance connectivity goals with environmental stewardship in fragile regions like the Sundarbans.