Vodafone Idea Ltd (VIL) is preparing for a phased rollout of its 5G services with ‘first-of-their-kind tariff plans’’.

This was disclosed by CEO Akshaya Moondra in a New Year message to the customers of the telco. The announcement led to the shares of the firm finishing with gains of 2.41 per cent at ₹8.07 in the BSE.

Moondra in his message said that the company has partnered global leaders like Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung and that it is driving a three-year transformation plan. He disclosed that by March this year, thousands of new sites will enhance their connectivity and it would elevate the network experience.

According to Moondra, VIL in 2024 added over 46,000 new sites and this was accompanied by enhancing the capacity at over 58,000 sites. ``A lot more of our network is now on our Indoor Coverage Plus technology which significantly boosts indoor coverage and quality whether you are at home, at the office, or at mall.’’

He pointed out that apart from adding new sites and strengthening its existing network, VIL has introduced SPAM detection solutions to safeguard customers. “Vi has excelled across all performance metrics of 4G download and upload speeds, 4G video and gaming experiences, and 4G voice app calling performance,’’ Moondra noted.

While the VIL chief did not disclose details of where the 5G services will be launched, reports indicate that it would be rolled out in 75 cities. The company is also reportedly planning to offer tariffs that are 15 per cent cheaper than those offered by its two rivals — Bharti Airtel and Jio.

Recently, the department of telecommunications waived bank guarantees for spectrum acquired in auctions held before 2022. BGs of around ₹24,800 crore were required to be provided by VIL against the spectrum instalments.

“It will ensure that the exposure of the banking system is utilized by telecom operators towards further proliferation of 4G and 5G networks in India,’’ VIL had said after receipt of the waiver.