VIL Rolls Out 5G; Expects New Services To Plug Subscriber Churn

New Delhi: Vodafone Idea on Wednesday launched its 5G services in India, starting from Mumbai with five more cities up next, as the telco bets on the new offering to arrest subscriber churn and place it on a firm footing against larger rivals in the

world's second-largest telecom market.

For now, Vodafone Idea's 5G services will be offered as an unlimited add-on for plans starting at Rs299 though the duration of this 'introductory offer' has not been specified. The launch assumes significance as the troubled telco looks to regain ground in the Indian telecom market, where 5G networks were announced in October 2022. Today, VIL's larger rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel dominate the market with a significant 5G base - Jio had 170 million 5G subscribers as of December 2024, and Bharti Airtel's user count stood at 120 million. VIL said it is eyeing a 100 cities/town rollout across 17 circles over the next three years and has sufficient capital to forge ahead with its expansion blueprint.

"Following the launch in Mumbai, we will expand our 5G services to Delhi, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Patna and Mysore by April. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala and Chennai will be included in the next phase of our rollout," Jagbir Singh, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Vodafone Idea, told media. VIL will continue to cover additional cities based on penetration of 5G devices and service demand, he added.