Vodafone Idea (Vi) has announced the official rollout of its commercial 5G service in India, with the rollout to be seen in March 2025 in Mumbai. In the Q3 2024-25 financial results telecom operator confirmed that 5G would be available in four of India’s biggest cities by April of next year including Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Patna. Vi had already initiated 5G trials in December 2024 across 19 circles, but this marks the company’s official commercial launch. This comes after Airtel and Jio launched 5G services as early as 2022.
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Vodafone Idea to Launch 5G Services in Mumbai by March 2025, Expanding to Four More Cities
“We are ramping up investments, and our capital expenditure deployment will accelerate in the coming quarters. Meanwhile, our phased 5G rollout is progressing, focusing on key markets,” said Vi CEO Akshaya Moondra. In addition to its 5G roll-out, Vi has also given an update on the state of its 4G coverage. As of Q4 2024, the company’s billion 4G networks reached 1.07 billion people (Q1 2024, 1.03 billion).
The 4G subscribers increased slightly from 125.6 million in Q3 FY24 to 126 million in Q3 FY25. The total subscriber count, or churn, dropped from a net of 15.4 million from 215.2 million to 199.8 million. Vi also posted a 4.7% growth in average revenue per user (ARPU), which stood at ₹173 in Q3 as against ₹166 in Q2. 897 million in the third quarter, a 10% increase year-over-year, crediting recent tariff increases and more customers choosing premium plans.
Besides, the firm has upgraded its network infrastructure and added over 4,000 broadband towers during the quarter, its highest expansion since its merger. Aiming to compete with Jio and Airtel, the company’s 5G infrastructure and customer engagement continue to increase as it gears up for a complete launch of the technology.
