Industry Odisha Bureau, Oct 22: Operators want AI and network data to cut reliance on manual drive tests. The minister has suggested a joint review, but officials say independent checks remain essential.
India’s telecom operators want artificial intelligence to play a bigger role in measuring network quality. They argue AI and network analytics could reduce reliance on traditional drive tests, Mint reported. The report cited two people familiar with the discussions.
The issue came up at the India Mobile Congress on 8 October 2026. Communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia met telecom executives there. He suggested a joint committee to review and simplify service-quality monitoring. He also asked telcos and officials to prepare a white paper on the issues.
The committee is still at the planning stage, and no rule changes have been announced. A review could weigh network data, virtual drive tests and customer complaints. These could complement the regulator’s manual testing, or in some cases replace it.
Drive tests measure network performance while testers travel across different locations. They check signal strength, call quality, dropped calls and mobile internet speeds. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) uses Mumbai-based RedMango Analytics Pvt. Ltd. Its Independent Drive Tests cover cities, hotspots and transport hubs using multiple handsets.
Operators see the process as manual and limited to selected routes and moments. One person aware of the talks said AI-enabled analytics could easily corroborate many parameters. That person argued drive tests could give way to other methods. Analytics, operators argue, can deliver faster and cheaper insights into service quality.
Another person said operators had discussed international best practices with the regulator. Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Reliance Jio and Coai did not respond to Mint. Neither did the Department of Telecommunications or Trai.
A government official defended drive tests as independent of service providers. They offer an objective, on-ground snapshot that pushes operators to fix gaps, the official said. Operator models predict coverage from tower height and antenna direction.
Real signal quality, however, depends on building density, vegetation, obstacles and environmental conditions. Radiated power levels also matter, and predictive tools cannot measure them, the official said.
Independent telecom analyst Parag Kar said drive tests show only a snapshot on chosen roads. He proposed a simple app where users flag dropped calls and weak coverage. Reports logged by time and place would show where service fails in daily life.
Accurate measurement matters because Trai fines operators that miss quality benchmarks. Under 2024 rules, a first breach draws up to ₹1 lakh per benchmark. That rises to ₹2 lakh for a second breach and ₹3 lakh thereafter. False compliance reports attract up to ₹2 lakh, ₹5 lakh and then ₹10 lakh.
The debate grows sharper as 5G networks become more complex to manage. The question is how to modernise oversight without losing independent verification.
