Vodafone Idea noted that the expansion is part of the telco’s broader 5G rollout strategy targeting key cities in its 17 priority telecom circles
In sum – what you need to know:
Focus on priority circles – Vodafone Idea continues its 5G expansion in 17 key telecom areas, including Jaipur, targeting major markets such as Mumbai, Delhi, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
Advanced, energy-efficient tech – For the Jaipur deployment, Vodafone Idea is using Ericsson’s lightweight radios and AI-powered SON (self-organizing network) systems to increase energy efficiency and reduce operational complexity.
Indian telecom operator Vodafone Idea (Vi) has extended its 5G footprint to Jaipur, the telco said in a release, noting that the expansion is part of the telco’s broader 5G rollout strategy targeting key cities in its 17 priority telecom circles across India.
The telco already offers service in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengalaru, Chandigarh, Patna, Mysuru, and Nagpur. For this 5G deployment, Vodafone Idea has partnered with Swedish vendor Ericsson to build the 5G infrastructure, which includes more energy-efficient and lightweight hardware. The telco also highlighted the use of AI-driven self-organizing network (SON) technology to boost network efficiency. Its 5G deployment is based on a non-standalone (NSA) 5G architecture.
The launches in Jaipur follow a major upgrade of Vi’s 4G network in Rajasthan state. The telco said it has deployed additional spectrum in the 900 MHz and 2.1 GHz bands across thousands of sites in the Indian state.
Shailendra Singh, operations director at Vodafone Idea, said: “As we launch Vi 5G in Jaipur, we are excited to bring the future of connectivity to the Pink City. With our next-gen 5G and robust 4G network, we aim to provide an enhanced experience to our users.”
Vodafone Idea had previously stated it will deploy 5G in 23 additional cities across India. It said it will deploy the technology in a phased manner in the following cities: Ahmedabad, Agra, Aurangabad, Kozhikode, Cochin, Dehradun, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Madurai, Malappuram, Meerut, Nagpur, Nashik, Pune, Rajkot, Sonepat, Surat, Siliguri, Trivandrum, Vadodara, and Vizag.
Vodafone Idea previously told investors that launching 5G services later than its competitors has helped the company use newer technology and save costs. The carrier noted this delay allowed it to strategically adopt advanced Disaggregated Radio Access Network (RAN) systems, which improve operational efficiency, offer new capabilities and significantly reduce network deployment and maintenance expenses.
Vodafone Idea is also in process of expanding its 4G footprint across the country. Since April 2024, the company has deployed 4G on the 900 MHz band at 65,000 sites and added over 56,000 sites on the 1800 MHz, 2.1 GHz and TDD bands. These upgrades have increased 4G data capacity by 35% and boosted 4G speeds by 26%.
Vodafone Idea’s 4G network now covers 84% of the population, up from 77% in March 2024. The company, a joint venture between the U.K.’s Vodafone Group and India’s Aditya Birla Group, said it would continue focusing on the 17 licensed areas or telecom circles for both 4G and 5G coverage.
