The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released the findings of an Independent Drive Test (IDT) conducted across East Jaintia Hills and West Jaintia Hills districts and along the Ratha Cherre Khasia Punjee – Jowai stretch of NH-6 in Meghalaya, providing consumers and industry stakeholders with a detailed assessment of mobile network quality in the region.
The tests, conducted from March 11 to March 16, 2026 under the North East Licensed Service Area (LSA), covered 213 km of city routes, 98.9 km of highways, 10 hotspot locations and a walk test at District Civil Hospital, Ialong. The exercise evaluated key quality parameters including network coverage, call setup success rate, dropped call rate, speech quality, download and upload throughout, latency and packet loss.
According to the report, Reliance Jio recorded the highest average download speeds, reaching 97.89 Mbps in city areas and 122.77 Mbps on highway routes. Airtel followed with 72.24 Mbps and 88.50 Mbps respectively. The drive test also identified coverage gaps and dropped calls across operators, with BSNL and Vodafone Idea reporting relatively higher instances of weak signal strength and call drops. During city drives, BSNL recorded 34 dropped calls and Vodafone Idea 30, while Jio reported only two.
The survey covered major locations including Jowai, Khliehtyrshi, Nartiang, Shangpung, Sutunga, Rachai and several stretches along NH-6 passing through Umkiyang, Sonapur, Lad Rymbai and Mukhla. Hotspot testing was conducted at hospitals, educational institutions, government offices and commercial centres.
In Shillong, the findings are significant as telecom connectivity has become a critical driver of digital commerce, online banking, e-governance services and business operations. Improved network quality can support Meghalaya’s growing digital economy, while areas with persistent coverage gaps may require additional infrastructure investments to meet rising consumer and enterprise demand.