Vi (Vodafone Idea), a leading telecom operator in India, has confirmed its discussion with Samsung for the deployment of virtualized Radio Access Network (vRAN) solution for its 4G and 5G.
Vi expects to invest INR500-550 billion over the next three years in 4G coverage expansion, 5G launch and capacity expansion, according to analysts.
Vodafone Idea’s Capex slightly increased to INR5.5 billion in 4Q vs INR3.3 billion in 3Q, and INR18.5 billion in FY24.
For comparison, Bharti Airtel’s annual network Capex stood at INR331 billion in FY24, significantly above VIL, despite having higher capacity. Reliance Jio’s network Capex was INR533 billion in FY24, showing its dominance in the Indian telecom market.
Vi and Samsung conducted network trials in Chennai, India with an objective to expand Vi’s 4G footprint and introduce 5G. Vi has also extended Samsung deployments in Karnataka and Bihar circles. These setups have enabled Vi to fulfil its 5G Minimum Rollout Obligation (MRO) in these three circles (Chennai, Karnataka and Bihar) with NSA vRAN architecture.
Vi is committed to expand its collaboration with Samsung for the vRAN solution and to harness the cloud benefits in the RAN domain. This unique blend of traditional RAN deployments and vRAN allows Vi to embrace new technologies and architecture with better performance and customer experience.
“We are demonstrating our leadership in vRAN that can deliver enhanced experience to our customers with better TCO. This vRAN deployment, delivered through Samsung’s technological strategic initiatives, is in sync with our technology transformation roadmap,” Jagbir Singh, Chief Technical Officer of Vodafone Idea, said.
Samsung’s vRAN solution will enable Vi to bring greater flexibility, scalability and resource efficiency to network management. It will ensure quality, credibility and robustness, delivering performance similar to that of traditional hardware-based equipment.