Vodafone Idea is positioning 2026 as a year of accelerated network expansion, with a sharper push on 5G deployment alongside continued investment in its 4G infrastructure, chief executive Abhijit Kishore said in a recent note addressing the telco’s customers.
He added that the telco has added a significant number of towers across the country to improve coverage and capacity, as it prepares to scale next-generation services more widely.
Expansion of 5G services
As of end of 2025, Vi has launched 5G in 29 cities. Kishore said that the telco has commenced the next phase of expansion to take the service to additional locations nationwide. In parallel, Vodafone Idea is continuing to strengthen its AI-driven 4G network to improve service quality and reliability.
“We have strengthened our network by adding a significant number of towers across the country, enhancing coverage and capacity for more robust connectivity and a superior network experience,” Kishore added.
Beyond network investments, the operator also aims to continue its efforts around digital safety and key customer-facing initiatives. It said its AI-powered spam protection feature, Vi Protect, has flagged more than 2.5 billion spam messages and voice calls so far. Vodafone Idea has also rolled out International Call Display and Calling Name Presentation (CNAP), enabling users to see the names of Vi callers even if the number is not saved in their contact list, Kishore said.
International Roaming
The company is also expanding its international roaming and financial services offerings. As part of its international roaming proposition, Vodafone Idea has introduced a Forex Card with no additional foreign exchange charges, accepted in over 180 countries. In the handset protection segment, it has launched an industry-first Handset Loss Insurance Program, offering coverage of up to Rs 25,000 through a recharge-linked plan with a fully digital claims process.
In addition, Kishore wrote, Vodafone Idea is strengthening its broader ecosystem through partnerships across travel, IoT (internet of things), fintech and MSME enablement. The Vi App is being positioned as a single platform for payments, entertainment and financial services, including bill payments, FASTag recharges, insurance and EMIs.
“With your needs at the heart of everything we do, we remain focused on innovation, enriching our service portfolio over the year with several new and enhanced offerings,” Kishore said.
The concluding calendar was marked by multiple milestones for Vi, including its commercial 5G rollout in March and regulatory relief on AGR dues calculation following an October Supreme Court judgment.
While Vodafone Idea has yet to disclose its 5G metrics, it is seeing data consumption scale on its network. Still far trailing its peers, Vi’s per capita data consumption has grown to nearly 19GB per month as on September end, as compared to 16.3 GB per month as on March end.
The telco is currently in active discussions with the government regarding the recalculation of AGR dues, a development which will be a significant marker of its fortunes going forward.