Vodafone Idea will launch its 5G services in all 17 priority circles by August this year, the telco said in a statement on Wednesday.
The firm also said that it will take its commercial 5G services in the country live in Delhi NCR on May 15. Since March this year, it has launched consumer 5G in Mumbai, Chandigarh and Patna, so far.
For several quarters now, Vodafone Idea has stated that it will focus expansion and upgradation investments in 17 of the total 22 telecom circles in the country, including Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh East and West, among others.
For the Delhi NCR launch, the telco has partnered with Ericsson to build its 5G infrastructure, which offers enhanced energy efficiency and lighter hardware. Vi has also deployed AI-powered self-organising network (SON) technology to further optimise network performance and uses a 5G non-standalone (NSA) architecture, ensuring smooth transitions between 4G and 5G, it said.
Vodafone Idea’s 5G rollout in 17 circles is a part of its Rs 55,000 crore capex planned over three years. The next cities in the pipeline are Bengaluru and Mysuru, with rollouts underway across other key markets in the remaining circles, the telco added.
In Mumbai, which was the first city to see commercial 5G services from Vodafone Idea, 70% of eligible users are accessing the 5G services with nearly 20% of its data traffic already being carried on the 5G network.
The telco’s introductory 5G offer includes unlimited data for users with 5G-enabled devices on plans starting from ₹299.
Earlier this week, the telco also announced that it’s physical store footprint has now expanded to 2,500 outlets across the country. This includes 500 flagship stores (larger in size with more customer touchpoints) and 2,000 mini-stores. The flagship stores, called Vi Stores, are operated directly by the firm, while the mini-stores form part of the telco’s partner driven eco-system.