Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) has announced the expansion of its 5G services, with plans to roll out 5G in 90 more cities by May 2026. With this, Vi’s 5G footprint will grow from 43 cities across 17 priority circles to 133 cities nationwide.

As part of this phase, Vi plans to expand its 5G coverage in 15 circles including Mumbai, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh (UP)-East, UP-West, Kolkata and West Bengal, prioritising key markets, including industrial corridors, high data consumption centres and emerging urban clusters.

Region wise expansion includes the following:

  • In north India, Vi will enhance its 5G coverage in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand and UP. The rollout will include cities of Karnal, Panipat, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Haridwar and many more.
  • In the eastern geography, Vi will expand 5G access across Kolkata, West Bengal and Sikkim to include Asansol, Durgapur, Darjeeling, Gangtok among others.
  • In west region, Vi will further add to its existing 5G coverage in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, as well as expand to Goa and the union territories Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. The rollout will cover multiple cities including Gandhidham, Bhuj, Solapur, Kolhapur, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar, Kota, Sikar, Udaipur along with Silvassa and Daman.
  • In south India, Vi 5G network will widen significantly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry. The rollout will cover cities like Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirupati, Hyderabad, Tiruvalla and Nilambur.
  • In central India, Vi will expand its 5G footprint across Madhya Pradesh with planned launches in Bhopal and Gwalior.

To ensure superior network performance and better energy efficiency, Vi is leveraging AI-powered self-optimising networks (SON) and has partnered with global tech vendors Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung across these regions.

Commenting on the 5G expansion strategy, chief technology officer, Vi, said “As we mark one year of Vi’s 5G journey, our focus remains on executing a phased and calibrated rollout, aligned with network readiness and evolving customer demands. This expansion to 90 more cities is in line with our strategy of prioritising 5G rollouts in key markets with higher penetration of 5G devices. With this phase of rollout, we are significantly augmenting our 5G network in Prime cities as well as deepening our Tier 2 and Tier 3 presence. We remain committed to building a robust, future-ready network that delivers enhanced customer experience and enables citizens to thrive in an increasingly digitised environment.”