India’s third-largest telecom company Vodafone Idea announced the launch of its 5G services in Mumbai on Wednesday, March 19.
Vodafone Idea (Vi) CTO Jagbir Singh affirmed that the focus of the telecom carrier was to introduce 5G “meaningfully” to their customers.
Both its competitors, Jio and Airtel, launched 5G services across different cities in the country, starting in October 2022. The question lingers whether Vi was too late to the market.
“We have invested in building a robust 5G network, by deploying the latest 5G technology,” said Singh. Vi, a partnership between Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group stated that it holds “a large spectrum portfolio including mid band 5G spectrum in 17 circles and mmWave 5G spectrum in 16 circles.”
Vi also plans to expand its 5G coverage across India “in a phased manner.”
Vi introduced an “Unlimited 5G data offer” available on its prepaid “Unlimited” plans starting at ₹299, according to the carrier. “Unlimited 5G data” is also available on all postpaid consumer plans, including IOIP plans, starting from ₹451.
In the launch face, Vi said that the “Unlimited 5G” are subject to its Fair Use Policy (FUP). After crossing the commercial monthly usage quota of 300GB, speeds would be throttled.
How to check if you have 5G on Vi?
“If you have a Vi 4G SIM, it is a 5G-ready SIM and can be used to access Vi 5G services when paired with a 5G-compatible handset,” according to the telecom carrier, provided you switch on the 5G mode in your phone settings.
To check if your smartphone is 5G compatible, you can use the compatibility checker in the Vi App.
Vi stated that it raised equity of around ₹26,000 crore in the past 12 months. This included the country’s largest FPO of ₹18,000 crore and a promoter contribution of ₹4,000 crore. This enabled the company to speed up its capex spending.
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“With the planned capex investment of ₹50,000 crore to ₹55,000 crore over three years, the company is working towards expansion of its 4G network to cover around 90 per cent of Indians, in addition to launch of 5G services in key geographies,” stated the company.
Vi partnered with Nokia as its equipment partner to roll out 5G in Mumbai. According to the firm, the Nokia systems are not only leaner but also energy efficient. Moreover, Vi also deployed an AI-based SON (Self-Organizing Networks) system to “continuously optimise network performance”.
Vodafone Idea faced major customer attrition over the years due to its lack of 5G in the rest of the country. Yet, it managed to keep a healthy customer base in Mumbai due to its almost flawless coverage of the city. It remains to be seen if this latest move could lead to the recovery of the embattled mobile carrier.
