Archive · 10 Aug 2026
Vodafone Idea Q1 Loss Narrows to ₹3,754 Crore, ARPU ₹195
Vodafone Idea is a big company that provides mobile phone service in India.
This story is about how the company did during the first three months of its new financial year.
The company lost money, but it lost a smaller amount than the year before.
More people started using its network, and each customer paid a little more money every month.
Customers are using a lot more internet data, which helps the company earn more.
The company is building many new towers so more people can use fast 4G and 5G internet.
It now offers 5G in more than 200 cities.
Vodafone Idea also raised new money to help build its network.
It made a deal with Meta to help protect customers from online fraud, and it added new services with partners like Spotify and PhysicsWallah.
These steps are meant to make the company stronger in the future.
Vodafone Idea (VIL) narrowed its loss to ₹3,754 crore in Q1 as revenue rose.
Total subscribers rose to 193.1 million from 192.8 million in the previous quarter, with over 67% (130.1 million) on 4G/5G networks.
Customer ARPU (excluding M2M) rose 10.2% year-on-year to ₹195, up from ₹177 in Q1 FY26, as average data usage hit 21.7 GB per 4G/5G subscriber per month.
VIL secured ₹6,400 crore in funding, held ₹6,558 crore in cash and bank balances, and received credit rating upgrades from CRISIL and ICRA.
4G population coverage expanded to 87.0%, adding 39.4 million people since Q1 FY26, while 5G reached over 200 cities and quarterly capex stood at ₹1,930 crore.
- Who
- Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL), the Indian telecom operator, along with its enterprise arm Vi Business.
- What
- Announced Q1 results with a narrowed loss of ₹3,754 crore, ARPU growth to ₹195, subscriber gains, funding of ₹6,400 crore, and expanded 4G/5G network coverage.
- When
- For the quarter ended June 30, 2026; credit rating upgrades came in May and June 2026.
- Where
- India, with 5G in over 200 cities across all 17 priority circles and consumer programs in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
- Why
- Driven by rising revenue, higher data usage and ARPU, subscriber growth, fresh funding, and new partnerships.
- Net loss (Q1)
- ₹3,754 crore, narrower than the year-ago quarter
- Total subscribers
- 193.1 million, up from 192.8 million in the prior quarter
- ARPU (ex-M2M)
- ₹195, up 10.2% year-on-year from ₹177
- 4G/5G subscribers
- 130.1 million, over 67% of the total base
- Data usage
- 21.7 GB per 4G/5G subscriber per month; 88.4 Pb/day total traffic
- 4G population coverage
- 87.0%; 39.4 million additional people covered since Q1 FY26
- Funding and cash
- ₹6,400 crore raised; ₹6,558 crore cash and bank balances as of June 30, 2026
- Capital expenditure
- ₹1,930 crore in Q1; ₹9,000 crore equipment orders placed against ₹45,000 crore three-year guidance