Vodafone Idea (Vi) is currently offering VoWi-Fi calling service in 12 states of the country. It is such an important service, especially for boosting the coverage experience for the users. It is used by so many people inside their houses who don’t get proper indoor mobile network coverage. But with Vodafone Idea, it is only available in 12 states including Maharashtra & Goa, UP West, Kolkata, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, UP East, Delhi, Rest of Bengal, Mumbai, and Haryana.
Vi doesn’t have the kind of network coverage Airtel and Jio provide, as per Opensignal. Thus, it is hard to understand why the telco isn’t investing in expanding the availability of the service fast. Every new smartphone launching today comes with support for Wi-Fi calling. People working from their homes have also set up strong Wi-Fi networks because they can’t rely on India’s 4G networks for a seamless internet experience.
Why is Vi Not Expanding VoWi-Fi Calling Availability
So, it is a question that I don’t have an answer to. Maybe it is because it has such limited funds at its disposal that it can either expand the 4G network, deploy fiber, or do other things before it can invest in expanding Wi-Fi calling.
One thing that’s pretty visible here is that Vi isn’t prioritising the south Indian states for Wi-Fi calling. Customers in that region can only depend on the mobile network for making voice calls. Vodafone Idea has received a lot of help from the Indian government. The telco’s scare of going out of business should be gone by now. There are still areas where Vodafone Idea needs to work on.
Adding new customers should be the priority on the list of targets. Without new 4G customers, the growth in ARPU (average revenue per user) will be fairly limited and that will negatively impact the company’s overall revenues in the long run.
With almost half of 2022 gone, Wi-Fi calling is a service that every Indian should be able to get from his/her telecom operator. Vi is far too behind its competitors in this area and it should be a point of concern for the company.
Expanding the Wi-Fi calling service fast, Vodafone Idea will be able to address some of the issues that its users across the country face. Customers shouldn’t have to tell the telco what they want at every turn and then wait for years to see their wishes coming true. Vi has a lot to figure out in terms of keeping its customers satisfied with its mobile services.
