Voda Idea says 5G rollout journey to begin soon; doesn't specify launch

Vodafone Idea, the country's struggling third telecom player, plans to begin the journey to roll out 5G services, matching rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, but the firm has offered no specific timeline for the launch or coverage of the ultra high-speed internet services.

Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla on Saturday pledged the telco's commitment to taking India on "the new pace of country's digital journey" while speaking at the inauguration of India Mobile Congress 2022 and launch of 5G services in the country by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We will soon begin 5G rollout journey. We will leverage our strong presence in rural India, our enterprise customers, our tech partners, and global experience of Vodafone Group for progressively rolling out our 5G network and services in the coming period," Birla said.

Unlike its rivals Reliance Jio and Airtel that outlined firm timelines for the launch of 5G services, Vodafone Idea did not disclose any rollout schedule