Vodafone Idea said the 5G test took place in Pune
Vodafone Idea has successfully tested 5G services using both the 26 GHz and 3.3 GHz bands in Pune, in a bid to meet the minimum rollout obligations stipulated by India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT), according to local press reports.
Vodafone Idea’s CEO Akshaya Moondra recently said during the company’s latest earnings call that the carrier will miss the minimum rollout obligations in 15 out of the 17 telecom circles where it acquired spectrum in the July 2022 5G spectrum auction.
The DoT had laid down the roll out obligations for both the 26 GHz band and the mid-bands, which said that by the end of the first year, a company has to commercially launch service anywhere in each of the three metros – Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai- and at least in one city in each of the 22 telecom circles.
Earlier this week, rival operator Bharti Airtel announced it has completed the minimum rollout obligations in all 22 circles for the 26 GHz band.
Reliance Jio had also completed these minimum obligations across all telecom circles in India.
Adani Data Networks, which had also secured 5G spectrum in the 2022 auction, has yet to meet the obligations.
In June, Vodafone Idea had confirmed “advanced talks” with a number of vendors in order to define its final strategy for the deployment of 5G in India.
In the carrier’s annual report, the telco also said it has concluded device testing of all major OEMs on its upcoming 5G mobile broadband network.
The Indian carrier has partnered with various OEMs to test the compatibility of available 5G handsets in 5G clusters in the cities of Delhi and Pune. “The company is working towards rolling out 5G for consumers. The deployment will be accelerated subsequent to the consummation of fund raising,” Vodafone Idea said.
Vodafone previously said it was negotiating loans with local banks in order to secure the necessary funds to launch 5G.
“The company acquired 850 megahertz of mid-band 5G spectrum in its 17 priority circles and 5,350 megahertz of mmWave 5G spectrum in 16 circles. This will enable the company to embark on its 5G rollout journey. Vodafone Idea also strengthened its pan-India 4G footprint by acquiring additional 4G spectrum across the 1,800 MHz, 2.1 GHz and the 2.5 GHz bands in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Punjab.
In its annual report, the telco also highlighted that it has been driving incremental 4G investments in the 17 priority service areas, which accounts for 98% of the company’s revenues. In the 4G field, Vodafone Idea has also added capacity through spectrum re-farming. “The company has been deploying several 5G ready technologies such as Massive MIMO, which will be central to the future growth strategy.”
Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm are currently providing 5G connectivity in thousands of towns and cities across India, while the government previously confirmed that state-run telco BSNL will be in a position to launch 5G in 2024.
