Photo used for indicative purpose only
TRAI test flags poor mobile network quality in Shimla, Solan
Shimla, August 14,
Mobile users in Shimla and Solan continue to face gaps in network coverage, dropped calls, call silence and uneven data speeds, according to an independent drive test conducted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in June.
TRAI released the findings on Friday after testing mobile networks across Shimla, Solan and adjoining areas between June 15 and 19, 2026. The exercise covered 35.9 km of highway routes, 384.8 km of city roads, 12 hotspot locations and 4.9 km of walk tests, besides inter-operator calling.
The testing covered Airtel, BSNL, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi), with live voice and data sessions conducted over available 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks.
In Shimla, the test recorded poor signal strength in 3,553 of 45,850 samples for Airtel, 7,735 of 43,507 for BSNL, 2,118 of 45,696 for Jio and 10,778 of 43,236 for Vi. Dropped calls were recorded at 1 of 411 calls for Airtel, 47 of 389 for BSNL, 1 of 418 for Jio and 20 of 387 for Vi.
Data performance also varied widely. Average download speeds in Shimla were 83.09 Mbps for Airtel, 10.99 Mbps for BSNL, 163.01 Mbps for Jio and 10.30 Mbps for Vi.
In Solan, coverage gaps were recorded for 493 of 12,912 samples for Airtel, 712 of 12,833 for BSNL, 508 of 12,713 for Jio and 1,191 of 12,908 for Vi. Dropped calls were 3, 11, 6 and 5 respectively.
On the Solan-Shimla highway, BSNL and Vi recorded relatively larger coverage gaps, while eight dropped calls were recorded among 22 established calls for BSNL.
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TRAI said the findings have been shared with the telecom service providers for necessary corrective action. The tests covered busy and important locations including the High Court, HP University, IGMC, ISBTs, district courts, Mall Road and Shimla Railway Station.
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