3 weeks ago
Vodafone Idea Advances ₹45,000 Crore Capex Plan, Lender Talks Progress
Vodafone Idea is a company that provides mobile phone and internet service to people in India.
It wants to make its network better and faster so that more people can use phones and the internet.
To do this, it needs a huge amount of money — ₹45,000 crore — and it is talking to banks about how to get it.
The talks with banks are going well, and the company has already received some money to start working.
Vodafone Idea has ordered special equipment from big technology companies like Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung to build new towers.
These towers will help bring fast 4G internet to more places and 5G internet to more cities.
The company is adding about 3,500 new 4G sites every month.
It recently gained new customers for the first time in years — now about 193.1 million people use its service.
Vodafone Idea wants to bring 5G to more than 200 additional cities in the coming months.
It is doing all of this to compete better with other phone companies in India and give customers better service.
Vodafone Idea is advancing its ₹45,000 crore three-year capital expenditure plan, reporting 'substantial progress' in discussions with lenders across public sector, private sector and foreign funding channels.
The company raised a first funding tranche of ₹6,400 crore, including ₹1,183 crore through promoter warrants plus debt and non-funded facilities from foreign and domestic lenders.
Equipment orders worth around ₹9,000 crore have been placed with vendors including Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung, with deployment planned over the next two quarters.
Vodafone Idea added subscribers for the first time since its 2018 merger, reaching 193.1 million customers, with nationwide 4G coverage at 87% and 5G across more than 16,000 sites in over 200 cities.
The operator plans to extend 5G to another 200-plus cities and maintain its investment pace, despite supply-chain challenges that affected June quarter deployment.
- Who
- Vodafone Idea, led by CEO Abhijit Kishore, with lenders including a State Bank of India-led consortium of public sector banks, private sector banks and foreign lenders.
- What
- Advancing a ₹45,000 crore three-year capital expenditure plan for accelerated 4G and 5G network expansion.
- Where
- India
- When
- Recently, following the company's first tranche of funding and its June quarter results.
- Why
- To improve network quality, regain subscribers and compete more effectively in India's highly competitive telecom market.
Key facts
- Capex Plan
- ₹45,000 crore over three years
- First Funding Tranche
- ₹6,400 crore
- Promoter Warrants
- ₹1,183 crore
- Equipment Orders
- Around ₹9,000 crore
- Equipment Vendors
- Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung
- Customer Base
- 193.1 million at end of June
- 4G Coverage
- 87% nationwide
- 5G Network
- 16,000+ sites across 200+ cities
Quotes
Abhijit Kishore
CEO of Vodafone Idea
“"substantial progress"”
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