Vodafone Idea (Vi), India’s third-largest private telecom operator, plans to begin its commercial 5G rollout by March 2025, starting with Delhi and Mumbai and expanding across 17 key circles. Vi aims to cover at least 90% of India’s population with 4G by June 2025, according to its Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
Revival and Expansion Plan
As part of its revival strategy, Vi has raised Rs 24,000 crore in equity, with Rs 18,000 crore from a follow-on public offer. These funds will be used to enhance 4G coverage and support the 5G rollout to curb subscriber losses.
“We are moving slowly with 5G but will first deploy it in Delhi, Mumbai, and other major cities across 17 states,” said Jagbir Singh, Vi’s CTO. Currently, the company’s 4G coverage reaches 77% of the population, which it aims to expand to 90% by mid-2025.
Delayed Entry into 5G
Financial challenges have delayed Vi’s 5G entry, but Singh is optimistic about reducing subscriber losses once the network is fully operational. Vi will focus on the 17 licensed telecom circles for both 4G and 5G, including roaming services.
Expanding 4G and Spectrum Utilization
Vi plans to further expand its 4G network to enhance capacity and quality, leveraging its spectrum across the 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, and 2500 MHz bands. The 900 MHz band, with better indoor coverage, will see a significant expansion from 55,000 to 150,000 sites, with 50,000 sites already completed.
Infrastructure and Vendors
Vi is working closely with tower companies such as Indus Towers and ATC to ensure smooth project execution. While it continues to replace Chinese-origin equipment over time, there are no immediate plans for a full swap within two years.
Virtual RAN and OpenRAN Experience
Vi has partnered with Samsung for virtualized radio access network (vRAN) technology in select circles. However, its experience with openRAN technology, deployed in partnership with Mavenir, has been less than encouraging, with higher total costs of ownership compared to traditional RAN solutions.
5G Use Cases and AI Integration
Vi has found limited business cases for private 5G networks in enterprise deployments, with trials for a few customers not yielding strong results. Meanwhile, the company is in talks with tech giants like IBM, Accenture, Microsoft, and Google to explore the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in network planning, operations, and automation.
Satellite Communications
Vi views satellite communication as complementary to terrestrial networks, especially in rural and disaster-prone areas, to enhance connectivity.
