Vodafone Idea to Expand 5G Across All India Circles, Says CEO Abhijit Kishore

Vodafone Idea (Vi) is set to begin the next stage of its 5G rollout, aiming to extend coverage across all 17 telecom circles in India, according to chief executive Abhijit Kishore.

In a year-end letter to customers issued on Friday, the Vi CEO noted that the company rolled out 5G services in 29 cities during 2025 and is now preparing for the next phase of growth.

He also highlighted network upgrades carried out over the year, including the addition of new towers and improvements in coverage and capacity to deliver more reliable connectivity and a better network experience.

The company said the selection of markets for 5G expansion will be guided by levels of 5G handset adoption and customer usage patterns.

“Vi has launched 5G in 29 cities and has now commenced the next phase of expansion to bring 5G to many more cities nationwide, while continuing to strengthen our AI-based self-optimised 4G network,” Kishore said.

Vodafone Idea expects to incur capital expenditure of around ₹7,500–8,000 crore by the end of FY26, as outlined by its CEO during the November earnings call.

The telecom operator is also awaiting clarity from the government on potential relief in its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, following earlier reports that the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is working on a proposal. It is expected to form a committee to examine possible relief measures for the company, in which the government holds about a 49% stake.

In 2025, Vodafone Idea also strengthened its offerings with Vi Protect, an AI-powered security feature that flagged over 250 crore spam messages and calls, and launched international call display to show caller names even when numbers are not saved.

Vi also introduced several customer-focused initiatives, including a forex card with zero additional foreign exchange charges for international roaming, handset loss insurance covering devices up to ₹25,000, and expanded partnerships across travel, IoT, fintech, MSME enablement and future connectivity solutions to support long-term innovation.