Vi 5G Available Now in Parts of 17 Licenced Circles in India: Report

More than two years after rivals Jio and Airtel began rolling out commercial 5G data services for postpaid and prepaid mobile users in India, competitor Vi (Vodafone Idea Ltd) has reportedly begun offering 5G in some areas of 17 cities. As per a report in Telecom Talk, the service is now live for eligible prepaid and postpaid users when they are within the coverage areas, though the company has not made any formal announcement yet. It is possible that this is still a test phase, and Vi could launch 5G officially on a larger scale after gathering real-world usage data for some time.

Although Vi committed to introducing 5G services in response to Jio and Airtel doing so in late 2022, the company has struggled to raise enough money to upgrade its infrastructure. The Indian market is known for exceedingly low cellular service tariffs, although all three major operators did raise prepaid and postpaid prices earlier this year. 

The cash-strapped company had announced the imminent rollout of 5G in Pune and New Delhi in late 2023, and it did meet a minimum rollout commitment with limited services in these cities plus the Pune and Punjab circles earlier this year. Most recently, the company promised a March 2025 target for launch in 17 circles. Meanwhile, Jio and Airtel currently claim to cover most of the country including rural and remote areas, with hundreds of millions of subscribers. 

As per this recent report, Vi has begun serving 5G on the 3.3GHz and 6GHz bands in limited areas of the Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, UP East, UP West, and West Bengal circles.

In Mumbai, only the neighbourhoods of Worli and Marol (Andheri East) are covered, while in New Delhi, users will need to be at Okhla (Phase 2), India Gate, or Pragati Maidan. Only the Dairy Circle area in Bengaluru and Shivaji Nagar in Pune get coverage, while Chennai’s Perungudi and Nesapakkam areas are on the list as well. 

According to the report, prepaid Vi users will need to recharge with at least the ₹475 pack to use 5G while postpaid users will need to be on the REDX 1101 plan, (though Vi’s website lists various other prepaid recharge amounts and only a REDX 1201 plan). This limits the potential 5G audience, though it is possible that things will change when the launch is announced officially. Acko Byte was not able to independently confirm the availability and quality of Vi 5G in these areas.