You've probably seen the ads everywhere. You've definitely heard the promises from customer support. Now, eight years after Vodafone India and Idea Cellular merged to form Vi, the company is finally making its biggest, most expensive push into the 5G space. The **Vodafone Idea (Vi) 5G India Rollout 2026** is officially accelerating. The telecom operator plans to extend its 5G network to 133 cities by May 2026, and they're spending a massive ₹45,000 crore to make it happen.
Honestly, this is long overdue. Look, while Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have been aggressively blanketing the country with 5G for the last two years, Vi users have been left checking their phone screens. Waiting. Just waiting for that elusive 5G symbol to pop up. But things are actually changing now. Vi is deploying capital from its recent ₹18,000 crore public offer. And they've signed network equipment agreements worth ₹30,000 crore with Nokia, Ericsson, plus Samsung. They mean business.
So what does this actually mean for you as a normal smartphone user? If you're a current Vi customer wondering whether you should port out to another network or stay put, this timeline matters a lot. We need to look closely at the specific cities getting coverage. We also need to check the upcoming tariffs. And we should see how the actual network upgrades will work on the ground. (Which is usually a mess, let's be real.)
Where the Vi 5G cities list stands right now
As of March 2026, Vi 5G was available in 83 cities across all 17 priority circles. That's decent progress. Especially for a company many thought was on the brink of collapse. But it isn't nationwide coverage by any stretch. The new target is 133 cities by May 2026. This expansion focuses heavily on **15 critical telecom circles** across the country.
Let's break down the geography and the regions getting upgraded:
- North India: Cities like Karnal, Panipat, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Haridwar are firmly on the list. These are areas where Vi has historically held a loyal user base.
- East India: Kolkata and West Bengal are seeing expanded services. Asansol, Durgapur, Darjeeling, and Gangtok are finally getting 5G coverage, a big deal for regions that often face spotty network quality.
- West and South India: Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan are deepening their coverage significantly. Down South, Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirupati, Hyderabad, Thiruvalla, and Nilambur are all part of the immediate rollout plan.
It's a solid, data-driven list. They're targeting high-demand zones like industrial corridors and dense urban clusters. Places where people consume terabytes of data daily. But they're also reaching into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. In these areas, broadband penetration is low. Mobile data is the primary way people access the internet here. If you live in one of these areas, you should start seeing better speeds very soon. I think they're playing it smart. If you want to see how this compares to what state-run operators are doing, check out our coverage of the BSNL 5G India Rollout 2026: Supported Cities, Expected Tariff Plans, and How to Port Your Number Explained.
Understanding Vi 5G plans and pricing
This is where things get tricky. And frankly, a bit expensive. Right now, Vi's **Average Revenue Per User (ARPU)** is around ₹195 as of the first quarter of FY27. That's an improvement over previous years. But it's still lower than what Airtel and Jio pull in per subscriber. Vi absolutely needs to increase its ARPU to survive. They have to pay off their massive government dues. They also need to fund this ₹45,000 crore network expansion. It's a lot of cash.
We don't have official, separate 5G tariffs from Vi yet. Like Jio and Airtel, Vi will likely keep offering 5G data at no extra cost on their higher-tier unlimited 4G plans for now. It's a proven strategy. Get people used to the blazing fast speeds. Habituate them to consuming more high-bandwidth content like 4K video. And cloud gaming too.
But that free ride won't last forever. Telecom gear prices are rising globally. Major suppliers like Ericsson and Nokia are increasing prices for their telecom equipment. This is mostly driven by AI-fuelled chip inflation. Component inflation is a factor too. Vi is heavily impacted by this rising 5G gear bill. In my experience, telecom companies always pass these costs onto us. The consumers are the ones who pay.
Expect to see premium, 5G-specific plans emerge late in 2026 or early 2027. They might bundle these with multiple streaming subscriptions and premium cloud gaming services to justify a higher price tag. (Enterprise-grade security features could be thrown in too.) A premium standalone 5G plan could easily cost north of ₹800 a month. That's for genuine, uncapped data without daily limits.
For everyday users, the current unlimited 4G plans that grant 5G access in supported cities starting around ₹299 for 28 days will likely see steady price hikes. The era of ultra-cheap Indian mobile data is slowly ending. It's being replaced by a tiered system. You pay a premium for speed and capacity now. I'm not sure exactly why it took this long for prices to correct, honestly. Keep a close eye on the Latest Tech News hub for announcements on specific tariff hikes as they happen over the next few months.
Behind the massive Vi network upgrades
Let's talk about the hardware and the actual work happening on the ground. You can't just flip a software switch and turn on 5G. It requires serious, physical infrastructure upgrades at thousands of cell sites. Vi is working closely with Nokia and Ericsson on this. Oh, and Samsung is involved too to upgrade the core network. This **₹30,000 crore deal** is the literal backbone of their entire 5G expansion strategy.
They're doing two things right now. First, they're expanding their physical 5G footprint by installing new massive MIMO antennas. They are upgrading backhaul capacity as well. Second, they're upgrading their existing 4G infrastructure in the process. This is a very smart move. Even if you don't care about 5G or don't own a 5G phone yet, a stronger 4G network matters. It means fewer dropped calls. It also means better indoor wall penetration and consistent speeds during peak evening hours. (Which makes sense, actually, since 4G and 5G share some backhaul.)
The company is talking openly about a turnaround strategy targeting 3x Cash EBITDA and double-digit revenue growth by FY29. They absolutely need a robust, reliable network to achieve that kind of financial turnaround. People just won't pay a higher ARPU for a network that drops calls. Period.
"The operator signed network equipment agreements worth approximately ₹30,000 crore with Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung in September 2024. Over the past eight years, the company has integrated two nationwide networks and resumed significant investments in 4G and 5G infrastructure."
There are also active discussions between Vi and BSNL about infrastructure sharing. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has noted that the two operators are exploring deeper 4G and 5G tower sharing agreements. BSNL has identified data centres and AI infrastructure as potential areas of deep collaboration. Cloud services are on the table too. This kind of tower sharing could help Vi expand its coverage footprint in rural areas much faster. It's cheaper than building new towers from scratch. Plus, it gives BSNL much-needed revenue from tower tenancies.
It's a massive undertaking that requires flawless execution. The recent SRK is on Vi Ad Campaign 2026: Vodafone Idea 5G Network Upgrades and Plans Explained marketing push shows they're confident. They are confident enough in the network progress to start shouting about it loudly again.
Is this enough to win back Indian users?
Vi has bled millions of subscribers for years. They lost ground to Jio and Airtel every single month. But there's a very real shift happening right now. In Q1 FY27, Vi recorded its first quarter of positive net subscriber additions since the massive 2018 merger. They added the highest number of users in over a year. Revenue hit ₹11,689 crore. People are actually noticing the network improvements. More importantly, they're staying on the network.
The ₹18,000 crore they raised through a follow-on public offer in April 2024 gave them the cash runway they desperately needed to survive. They're deploying that capital fast. Basically, the 5G rollout is accelerating because they finally have the funds to pay vendors. Companies like Ericsson and Nokia are finally shipping the hardware.
If you ask me, Vi is finally in a realistic position to compete again. They clearly aren't trying to beat Jio and Airtel on sheer subscriber numbers anymore. That war is over. Instead, they're focusing intensely on network quality in high-revenue markets. If they can deliver a consistently stable 5G experience in these target 133 cities, they will retain their high-paying postpaid customers. They might even win back a few heavy data users who left for greener pastures.
It's a brutally tough market. The equipment costs are rising due to global supply chain issues. The competition is fierce. But for the first time in a very long time, Vi actually has a fighting chance to secure its spot as India's viable third private operator. The numbers here are a bit fuzzy, but the momentum is real. If you're a Vi user living in one of the target expansion cities, hold on for a bit longer. The upgrade is coming. For more deep dives into how these telecom policy changes affect your wallet, check out our Tech Explainers section.
What about the 4G network experience?
While 5G grabs all the headlines, a huge portion of Vi's customer base is still relying heavily on 4G. The reality in India is that 5G device penetration isn't at 100%. Many users still carry 4G-only smartphones. This is especially true in the sub-₹10,000 price segment. So what happens to them while Vi pours ₹45,000 crore into next-generation technology?
The good news is that 5G deployment inherently improves the 4G experience. When Vi upgrades a cell tower to support 5G, they typically upgrade the backhaul fibre. They upgrade the core network routing equipment at the same time. This increased capacity benefits all traffic flowing through that site. That includes 4G data. And as heavy data users migrate their streaming habits over to the new 5G bands, it frees up bandwidth. It clears out space on the crowded 4G spectrum.
I've noticed this effect personally in areas where 5G has recently gone live. The 4G speeds often jump from a sluggish 5 Mbps during peak hours to a very usable 15 or 20 Mbps. The network congestion is simply relieved. Vi is acutely aware that they can't afford to neglect their 4G customers while chasing the 5G dream. Their recent financial reports explicitly mention ongoing investments in 4G capacity expansion alongside the 5G rollout. They're adding new 4G carriers to existing sites. They're also deploying more spectrum to ensure the baseline experience remains competitive.
This dual focus is essential for their survival. They need to offer a premium 5G service to retain high-ARPU users in metros. But they also need a rock-solid 4G network to keep their prepaid base happy in smaller towns and rural areas. If they drop the ball on 4G while chasing 5G, they'll quickly resume bleeding subscribers to Jio and Airtel. The early signs from Q1 FY27 show positive subscriber additions. They might finally be striking the right balance.
