Vodafone Idea expands 5G footprint with launches in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh

Vodafone Idea (Vi) on Tuesday, 19 August 2025 announced the launch of its 5G services in Kochi, Kerala, with a rollout in Thiruvananthapuram scheduled for the following day, Wednesday, 20 August 2025. These launches follow Vi’s 5G debut in Agra on 12 August 2025, and recent rollouts in Malappuram and Kozhikode.

“This expansion is part of Vi’s ongoing 5G rollout across multiple cities within its 17 priority circles, where it has acquired 5G spectrum,” the company said in a statement on Monday, 18 August 2025.

As part of this broader initiative, Vi has previously launched 5G services in Mumbai, Delhi–NCR, Bengaluru, Mysuru, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Patna, Jaipur, Sonipat, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik, Meerut, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Visakhapatnam, Madurai, and Agra. Following the recent launch in Meerut, Agra has become the second city in Uttar Pradesh to experience Vi’s next-generation connectivity.

Vi confirmed that customers in Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, and Agra with 5G-enabled devices can now access Vi’s 5G network. As a promotional offer, Vi is providing unlimited 5G data on plans starting at Rs 299, enabling users to enjoy faster downloads, real-time cloud access, gaming, HD streaming, and video conferencing.

George Mathew V, Vi’s Business Head for Kerala, commented, “We are delighted to bring the future of connectivity to Kerala’s four major cities with the launch of Vi 5G in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Alongside our strong 4G offerings, our next-generation 5G services aim to deliver an enhanced experience and more choice for our users. With growing demand and increasing adoption of 5G handsets, we remain committed to strategically expanding our 5G presence across Kerala.”

Sumit Agarwal, Circle Business Head for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, said, “We are excited to introduce Vi 5G to the historic and culturally rich city of Agra. Our focus is to offer a superior digital experience through next-generation 5G, complementing our robust 4G services. As demand for 5G continues to rise, we are dedicated to expanding our footprint methodically across Uttar Pradesh.”

Strategic partnerships and financial performance – Q1 FY26

In separate announcements, Vi revealed it has partnered with Nokia in Uttar Pradesh and Ericsson in Kerala to deploy energy-efficient, AI-powered Self-Organising Networks (SON) to automatically optimise network performance.

In Q1 FY26, Vodafone Idea reported operating revenue of Rs 11,022.5 crore, a 4.9% year-on-year increase from Rs 10,508.3 crore in Q1 FY25 and a slight rise from Rs 11,013.5 crore in the previous quarter (Q4 FY25).

Despite this revenue growth, the company continued to post losses, reporting a net loss of Rs 6,608.1 crore. While this reflects a 7.8% improvement compared to the Rs 7,166.1 crore loss in the March 2025 quarter, it remains higher than the Rs 6,432.1 crore loss recorded in Q1 FY25