Vodafone Idea also said it has been expanding its 4G footprint across India
Indian carrier Vodafone Idea continues discussions with lenders and other parties to secure funding for the launch of 5G network infrastructure, the carrier said in its earnings statement.
“We continue to remain engaged with our lenders for further debt fund raising as well as with other parties for equity or equity linked fund raising, to make required investments for network expansion, including 5G rollout,” Vodafone Idea said.
“Further, we are in discussion with various network vendors for finalization of our 5G rollout strategy. Continuing with our efforts to develop the 5G ecosystem in the country, we partnered with leading OEMs Motorola and Xiaomi to test their extensive 5G smartphone portfolio on our network and with that we have now completed device testing of all major OEMs on our 5G network,” the telco said.
Vodafone Idea also highlighted its progress in terms of broadband and 4G expansion during its financial Q4. “We continue to focus on expanding our high speed broadband network coverage and capacity by rolling out new sites, upgrading our core and transmission network as well as by refarming 2G/3G spectrum to 4G. Our overall broadband site count stood at over 443,500 as of March 31, 2023 and during the quarter we added nearly 1,900 4G sites,” it added.
Indian press reports recently stated that Vodafone Idea was in the final stage of negotiations with banks to secure funding, which will be key for the launch of its 5G network infrastructure in the country.
A news report cited a senior official from the Department of Telecommunication (DoT), who explained that the carrier is likely to secure funding by June, which will enable the launch of 5G services that same month.
The official also said that Vodafone Idea’s entry into the domestic 5G market will prevent a duopoly, which would be positive for consumers.
Another press report said that Finnish vendor Nokia was in talks with Vodafone Idea to supply 5G networking equipment. Nokia already supplies 5G gear to rival operators Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm.
Local research firm GlobalData had previously posited that Vodafone Idea’s inability to raise the necessary funds to deploy 5G infrastructure could lead to a duopoly between local telcos Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm.
Currently, both Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm offer 5G networks in all major cities across the country. While Jio is offering 5G Standalone technology (SA), Airtel has opted for Non-Standalone 5G technology (NSA).
