Vodafone Idea (Vi) on Tuesday outlined its strategy to strengthen its presence in the Kolkata and Rest of Bengal (RoB) circles. The plan reportedly focuses on expanding its 4G network, driving digitalisation, and growing its retail footprint. Naveen Singhvi, Business Head for Bengal and North East at Vodafone Idea, stated that the company is prioritising 4G network expansion to meet the increasing demand for data consumption before rolling out 5G, according to a PTI report.
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Strategic Roadmap for 5G
While competitors are accelerating 5G rollouts towards 5G-Advanced, Singhvi reportedly stated that Vodafone Idea has a firm strategic roadmap for 5G but declined to provide a specific timeline for the Kolkata and Bengal circles.
"We believe customer experience is key, and 4G has more use cases today. While 5G is on our roadmap, we are currently focused on strengthening 4G infrastructure. After consolidation, we will start 5G," Singhvi reportedly said.
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Vi Tops 4G Network Experience
Citing a recent Opensignal report, he claimed that Vodafone Idea leads in all consumer experience parameters, including data, voice, video, and gaming on the 4G network in these two circles. "Vi is the operator to beat when it comes to 4G network experience in India, both nationally and regionally," Opensignal said, referencing India: 4G Network Experience Report, November 2024.
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Investments in the Circle
In its Q1 FY25 earnings call, Vodafone Idea indicated that its 5G rollout is expected to begin in the January-March quarter of FY25, starting with Mumbai and Delhi. The company has invested Rs 17,695 crore in capital expenditure in the Kolkata and RoB circles since inception, the report noted, highlighting that the company operates on the 900, 2100, and 2500 MHz spectrum bands.
Vi Network in West Bengal
Vi currently has 4,175 sites in Kolkata and 8,371 in the RoB circle. Sikkim comes under the Bengal telecom circle. Singhvi reportedly highlighted that the company plans to add 1,000 new sites across Kolkata and Bengal circles by February-March 2025, which will also support future 5G upgrades. This addition is expected to significantly improve network coverage.
Vi Retail Presence
Regarding retail presence, Vodafone Idea reportedly plans to open nine new large-format stores in Kolkata over the next two months, increasing its existing network of 36 company-owned large-format stores in the city.
"This expansion comes after a significant pause post-pandemic. We are also committed to enhancing customer reach through our 77 franchise stores and a deep rural distribution network, which includes over 300 V-shops run by distributors to serve rural customers," the report cited Singhvi as saying.
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Customer Acquisition
He further noted that the company is currently prioritising customer acquisition through aggressive plans and an enhanced network experience. In the next fiscal year, the focus will shift to boosting average revenue realisation in both circles.
