On Tuesday, Vodafone Idea (Vi) declared that its 5G services would be commercially available in India. In its Q3 2024-25 report, the telecom operator outlined its objectives, emphasizing that 5G services will initially be introduced in Mumbai in March. In April, the business plans to extend its services to four additional cities. Although it wasn’t a commercial rollout at the time, Vi began 5G operations in 19 circles nationwide in December 2024. Notably, in 2022, Jio and Airtel both introduced 5G services.
Mumbai Will Be the First to Offer Vi 5G Services
Vi announced its ambitions to build up commercial 5G services in the nation in its quarterly report for the third quarter of the fiscal year 2024–2025. In April 2025, the business intends to extend its services beyond Mumbai to Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Patna. Other cities that might receive 5G coverage during this phase have not been identified by the telecom company.
“We are making investments, and in the upcoming quarters, the pace of capital expenditure deployment is expected to quicken. At the same time, 5G services are being gradually introduced, focusing on strategic regions, according to a statement released by the company’s CEO, Akshaya Moondra.
In addition to the 5G rollout, Vi emphasized how quickly its 4G population coverage has grown over the past nine months. According to the corporation, it expanded by 41 million people, reaching 1.07 billion by the end of December 2024, after covering a population of 1.03 billion in March 2024.
By the end of Q3 FY25, the telecom operator had 126 million 4G subscribers, up from 125.6 million in Q3 FY24. According to the telecom operator, its overall number of subscribers decreased by 15.4 million to 199.8 million in the December quarter from 215.2 million in the same quarter of the prior fiscal year.
Furthermore, Vi said that it had a 4.7 percent increase in its average revenue per user (ARPU), going from Rs. 166 in Q2 to Rs. 173 in Q3. According to the corporation, tariff increases and people choosing more expensive plans were the main causes of this increase.
Additionally, during the quarter, the telecom operator increased its footprint to over 4,000 distinct broadband towers. According to the corporation, it was the biggest addition it had made in a single quarter since the merger.
