Vodafone Idea (Vi) has expanded its strategic partnership with Ericsson to modernise its postpaid services and strengthen its ongoing Network network expansion across India, the companies said in joint statement on Monday, March 2, 2026.
Vi Network Expansion Across 10 Circles
Since 2024, Ericsson has deployed new 5G and 4G sites for Vi, undertaken layer additions at existing locations and rolled out High-Performance Small Cell (HPSC) towers across 10 telecom circles. The collaboration will continue to focus on the deployment and integration of new network sites, capacity augmentation and coverage expansion, aimed at improving indoor coverage and enhancing overall data capacity.
Cloud-Native Charging for Postpaid Growth
Ericsson said that, building on the successful migration of hundreds of millions of Vi prepaid subscribers to Ericsson Charging in 2023, Vodafone Idea has now selected cloud-native Ericsson Charging to support and expand its postpaid subscriber base. The move marks a significant expansion of Ericsson’s footprint within Vi, positioning it as a major pan-India supplier of online charging solutions for both prepaid and postpaid customers.
AI-Driven Telco IT Transformation
Ericsson said "The new agreement also empowers Vi with a selection of new Ericsson Telco IT AI Apps, giving it greater control and flexibility over its Charging platform and ensuring it can deliver reliable, efficient and future-proof services to its subscribers. Vi will leverage AI applications including Anomaly Detection for Charging Applications, Order Fallout Detection and Prediction, Capacity Forecast for Telco Cloud Stack and Intelligent Usage Analysis for Charging to enhance service delivery, improve customer experience, and drive efficiency."
Convergent Charging for 5G Readiness
As part of the transformation, Vi will upgrade its legacy offline charging and rating functionalities of billing solution to Ericsson’s Convergent Charging System, enabling real-time charging for voice, VoLTE, SMS and data services across consumer and enterprise segments. The new system is designed to be scalable, flexible and cost-efficient, allowing faster rollout of new offerings while improving customer experience.
"The upgrade will improve operational efficiency and customer experience and help prepare Vi’s network for 5G Standalone going forward," the statement said.
Operational Efficiency and Faster Service Launches
The convergent charging solution complies with TM Forum’s Open Digital Architecture and incorporates open APIs, enabling catalogue-driven product configuration and integrated charging and policy control. The deployment is expected to reduce operational expenditure and the ability to support advanced and personalized product offerings in the future.
Jagbir Singh, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea said, “We’re looking forward to further strengthening our longstanding partnership with Ericsson. The simplification and benefits of cloud-native Ericsson Charging will help us future-proof our architecture, enabling us to meet the demands of today’s digital environment and tomorrow’s 5G needs as Indians embrace this new era of connectivity. Vi customers will gain access to real-time account information and advanced offers, helping us deliver world-class customer experiences leveraging AI to achieve operational efficiencies and drive growth.”
Andres Vicente, CEO, Southeast Asia, Oceania and India, Ericsson says, “Our deep understanding of Vi’s business is reflected in the great service to customers we work so closely together to deliver. We are delighted to expand our collaboration by deploying Ericsson Charging to modernize Vi’s postpaid rating and charging functionalities from offline to real time rating and charging model. The scalable, AI driven solution will help Vi modernize operations and expedite the deployment of next-generation services."
The latest agreement further deepens the longstanding partnership between Vi and Ericsson as the telecom operator seeks to strengthen its competitive position in the Indian market.
