TRAI finds widespread mobile coverage gaps in Jaintia Hills; Jio leads on download speeds

SHILLONG, June 8: Large stretches of East and West Jaintia Hills continue to suffer from weak mobile signals and patchy network coverage, according to a new assessment by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), which found significant coverage gaps across all major telecom operators in the region.

The findings are based on independent drive tests conducted by TRAI in March across Jowai, Khliehriat and surrounding areas, as well as along the NH-6 corridor from Rata Cherra Khasia Punjee to Jowai. The tests evaluated the voice and data performance of Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea.

One of the most striking findings was the extent of weak signal zones. During city drive tests, Vodafone Idea recorded the highest number of poor signal samples at 13,632, followed by BSNL with 11,479. Airtel recorded 5,822 poor signal samples, while Jio had the lowest at 3,808.

Along the NH-6 highway route, Vodafone Idea again recorded the highest number of poor signal samples at 4,946, followed by BSNL (2,719), Jio (2,091) and Airtel (1,997).

The drive tests also revealed persistent call-drop issues. In city areas, BSNL recorded 34 dropped calls and Vodafone Idea 30, compared with five for Airtel and two for Jio. On the highway route, Vodafone Idea recorded the highest number of dropped calls at 10, followed by BSNL with six, while Airtel and Jio recorded three each.

When it came to mobile internet performance, Jio emerged as the fastest network in the survey area. Average download speeds reached 97.89 Mbps during city tests and 122.77 Mbps on the highway route. Airtel followed with average download speeds of 72.24 Mbps in city areas and 88.50 Mbps on highways.

BSNL recorded the slowest download speeds, averaging 9.54 Mbps in city areas and 4.37 Mbps along the highway route. Vodafone Idea recorded average download speeds of 25.45 Mbps and 23.35 Mbps respectively.

The regulator also recorded multiple instances of “call silence”—periods exceeding three seconds during active calls when users could not hear the other party. Airtel reported the highest number of such instances during city tests, while all operators experienced call silence events on both city and highway routes.

The survey covered more than 300 kilometres of city and highway routes, including Jowai, Khliehriat, Nartiang, Shangpung, Sutnga, Lad Rymbai, Sonapur and other locations, along with tests at hospitals, government offices, educational institutions and commercial hubs.

TRAI said the findings have been shared with telecom service providers for corrective action. The report is intended to provide consumers with a real-world picture of mobile network performance and encourage operators to improve service quality in the region.

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