Vodafone Idea to launch 5G services in Mumbai by March
What's the story
Vodafone Idea has announced plans to launch its 5G services in Mumbai by March this year.
The expansion of the service will continue with launches in Delhi, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and Patna planned for April.
This move comes after a major expansion of Vodafone Idea's 4G coverage across the country over the last year.
Network growth
4G coverage expansion and future plans
Over the last nine months, Vodafone Idea has expanded its 4G coverage to another 41 million people.
This has taken its total population coverage to 1.07 billion by December end, up from 1.03 billion in March 2024.
The company also noted a massive 24% increase in its 4G data capacity, which resulted in a nearly 28% improvement in 4G speeds during this period.
Infrastructure development
Vodafone Idea's network enhancement
Vodafone Idea has notably improved its network by rolling out 4G on the sub-GHz 900 band across some 15,000 sites. This has improved both coverage and indoor network experience.
The company also added some 10,400 sites in the 1,800MHz and 2,100MHz bands mainly to enhance network capacity.
Consequently, customers are witnessing faster data speeds on the Vi GIGAnet network.
Financial performance
ARPU and subscriber base in Q3 FY25
Vodafone Idea also reported an increase in its average revenue per user (ARPU) to ₹173 in the December quarter, up from ₹166 a quarter ago.
This 4.7% hike was driven by tariff rises and customers upgrading to higher plans.
The company's 4G subscriber base stood at 126 million at the end of Q3 FY25, marking a slight increase from 125.6 million as of Q3 FY24.