AFTER Reliance Jio and Airtel have already taken a massive lead in terms of 5G network, Kumar Mangalam Birla, the Chairperson of Aditya Birla Group, in an interview with CNBC-TV 18, officially confirmed that Vodafone-Idea will roll out 5G services in India. The 5G network, announced at the Indian Mobile Congress 2022, has been a major highlight for smartphone users, and as a result, Vodafone has been rapidly losing subscribers.
Vi has already announced the partnership with Motorola and Xiaomi smartphone-making companies to develop 5G services for Indian users. Unlike Jio and Airtel, the company was only offering 4G connectivity to its user base in India.
However, Birla has confirmed the rollout but has not shared a specific timeline for the rollout of 5G services. According to the reports, while speaking at the AIMA Awards, Birla said that 'the rollout will begin soon'.
Surprisingly, the announcement comes as the telecom operator has lost millions of subscribers. According to an India Today report, the company has lost over 42.4 million subscribers. The report further mentions that the telecom operator lost Rs 7,990 crore in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to a net loss of Rs 7,595.5 crore in the previous quarter. In contrast, the company's revenue increased by 0.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, Reliance Jio has introduced its 5G services in over 406 cities in India as per a February 2023 report. Airtel has introduced its 5G services in 265 cities in India with its non-standalone model.
On the other hand, the Indian government is pushing for the adoption of 5G technology after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced the plans for 5G Spectrum in 2022.