Vodafone Idea said it added more than 6,500 new unique 4G towers during the most recent quarter
In sum – what to know:
4G expansion – Vodafone Idea lifted 4G population coverage to 85.5% by December 2025 and plans to exceed 95% across its 17 operating circles.
Capacity gains – 4G data capacity rose more than 43%, supporting a 22% increase in average 4G speeds compared with March 2024.
Capex for 4G-5G – A planned INR 450 billion investment over three years targets 4G parity, wider 5G rollout, and selective FWA deployment.
Indian operator Vodafone Idea is accelerating investment in its 4G network nationwide, as it also boosts 5G coverage in the 17 telecom circles where it owns spectrum.
“Alongside 5G rollout, we continue to invest in expanding our high-speed broadband network by adding new 4G sites and upgrading our core and transmission network for high speed broadband network. Our 4G population coverage increased to 85.5% as of December 2025 compared to nearly 77% as of March, 2024,” the operator said in its earnings release.
“Our 4G data capacity expanded by over 43%, driving a 22% improvement in 4G speeds as compared to March, 2024. With our planned investments, the 4G population coverage in the 17 circles is expected to increase to over 95%,” the telco added.
Vodafone Idea said it added more than 6,500 new unique 4G towers during the most recent quarter. As of December 2025, its total broadband site count stood at over 548,000.
According to a recent report by Indian newspaper The Economic Times, citing chief executive Abhijit Kishore, Vodafone Idea plans to invest INR 450 billion ($4.9 billion) in capital expenditure over the next three years. The investment is aimed at accelerating network upgrades, and achieving 5G parity in key markets.
The proposed spending plan targets full 4G parity with rival telcos Reliance Jio Infocomm and Bharti Airtel within 12 to 24 months, followed by an expanded 5G rollout across all urban areas within 12 to 30 months. The strategy also includes converting remaining 2G sites to 4G in selected markets and evaluating fixed wireless access (FWA) for home broadband. The company said it has already invested INR 180 billion over the past six quarters.
“Vodafone Idea needs to invest massively in its network to achieve 4G and 5G coverage and performance parity with Jio and Airtel. This looks like a good plan that hopefully they will be able to execute. This is positive for its RAN vendors, Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung,” Rémy Pascal, RAN lead analyst at Omdia told RCR Wireless News.
“Overall, we expect the Indian RAN market to return to growth in 2026, after a weak 2025. We expect the other operators to also increase their investments,” the analyst added.
Vodafone Idea, a joint venture between Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group, holds mid-band 5G spectrum in 17 circles and mmWave spectrum in 16 circles.
Vodafone Idea previously told investors that launching 5G services later than its competitors has helped the company use newer technology and save costs.
