Vodafone Idea Kicks Off 5G Trials in Delhi, Eyes Full Rollout Across 17 Circles

Vodafone Idea (Vi) has taken its first step into India's capital with the launch of 5G trials in Delhi, following earlier commercial deployments in Mumbai, Patna, and Chandigarh. The trials allow select users to access speeds exceeding 100 Mbps—marking a critical move toward broader coverage.

This initiative is part of Vi's strategic roadmap to offer 5G services across all 17 telecom circles where it holds licenses by August 2025. These areas include key regions across India, from metropolitan centers to tier-2 and -3 cities.

Vi's delayed 5G rollout—later than rivals—has allowed it to leapfrog legacy constraints by deploying advanced disaggregated RAN systems, coupled with AI-based node automation through Self-Organizing Network (SON) technologies. This approach enhances deployment efficiency, lowers costs, and delivers resilient performance.

Beyond 5G, Vi is continuing to strengthen its 4G infrastructure. Since April 2024, the operator added 65,000 sites on the 900 MHz band and over 56,000 sites across 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, and TDD bands. These upgrades have driven a 35% increase in data capacity and a 26% boost in speed, pushing 4G coverage to 84% of India's population.

Though the telecom faces stiff competition from market leaders Jio and Airtel, this technology-first strategy underscores a determined comeback. Vi's rollout trajectory illustrates how it is balancing infrastructure modernization with future-ready deployment, striving to win back market trust and user adoption.