Vi to challenge Airtel, Mukesh Ambani's Jio with THIS service soon, plans to launch...

Vodafone Idea (Vi) is set to roll out its 5G mobile broadband services in March this year, according to a report. The telecom company plans to launch its network in 75 cities across India and is expected to offer competitively priced plans, aiming to attract new users and win back customers who switched to Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.

According to The Economic Times, Vi’s entry-level 5G plans could be up to 15% cheaper than those of its rivals. The company is also targeting industrial hubs that rely heavily on data usage.

A Vi spokesperson confirmed that the company is focused on delivering high-quality service at affordable prices and plans to enhance its existing 4G network alongside the 5G rollout, according to the report.

To support its ambitious plans, Vi recently finaliSed deals worth $3.6 billion (Rs 30,000 crore) with global network vendors like Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung. These partnerships will help the company expand its network infrastructure, including deploying approximately 75,000 5G sites over the next three years. The rollout will initially use a mix of 3.5 GHz (C-band) and 1,800 MHz spectrum.

Vi's shares showed a slight uptick, trading 0.50% higher at Rs 8.06 on Thursday. About 1.25 crore shares were traded on the BSE, which was lower than the two-week average volume of 4.75 crore shares.