Vi 5G: Plans, SIM, Launch Date, Cities, Speed Test
Along with Jio and other telecom operators, Vi (Vodafone-Idea) also participated in the 5G auctions in India. With over Rs 18,799 crores spent on the 5G spectrum, Vi is planning on bringing 5G to India very soon. This post will answer all your queries regarding Vi 5G in India.
When will Vi 5G Launch in India?
PM Modi launched 5G Services in India on October 1 at the India Mobile Congress 2022. At the IMC event, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, was also present. Sadly, he did not announce a 5G-related timeline during the event. It looks like Vi customers will have to wait a little more for further 5G details.
Reportedly, Vi plans to deliver 5G to the entire country between 2023 to 2024.
While Jio and Airtel have publicly announced their 5G rollout plans, Vi remains silent. We have not heard anything officially from Vi that hints toward a launch date. However, the PM of India launched 5G at the IMC (Indian Mobile Congress) event, which was held on October 1. We may see Vi roll out its 5G services in select cities by early 2023. Vi has also begun sending messages about 5G to its users in various locations, such as Delhi-NCR. All of this indicates that the launch is imminent.
The rollout will be limited to metropolitan cities of India at first. It will be expanded to other towns and cities (tier-2 and tier-3) of the country later in 2023.
Which 5G bands are acquired by Vi?
After Adani Data Network, Vi was the lowest bidder of all the telecom operators in India’s 5G spectrum auctions. Vi spent a total of Rs. 18,799 crores on the bidding. Vi also has acquired a total spectrum of 6.2 GHz pan-India. As for the 5G bands, Vi has bought only two of the popular 5G bands. Vi will support 3300MHz (n78) and 26GHz (n258) frequency bands.
Vi acquired a few 4G bands as well. So we can expect better 4G speed from Vi 4G. The company has been going through poor financial conditions for a long time; hence, it only focuses on mid-band and high-band (mmWave).
As for the 3300 MHz mid-band, Vi is planning to bring it to 17 circles of India, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West), West Bengal. The rest of the circles, i.e. Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, North East, and Orissa, will not have Vi 5G.
Vi is also planning to get the premium mmWave 26 GHz band across 16 of the 22 circles in India. These exclude Bihar, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, North East, and Orissa.
What are the cities where Vi 5G will be launched first?
Vi has not officially stated the cities where 5G rollouts will begin. However, we can expect Vi to launch 5G in the same 13 major metropolitan cities as Jio and Airtel. The Vi 5G rollout will initiate from the following 13 cities— Hyderabad, Jamnagar, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Gurugram, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune. Again, Vi will later expand the rollout to other towns and cities of the country.
Do you need a new SIM Card to use Vi 5G?
You will probably not need a new 5G SIM card to use Vi 5G. You can use your existing 4G SIM card to enjoy 5G services. Vi will likely use NSA or Non-standalone 5G to provide its 5G services, similar to Airtel. NSA 5G is built on existing 4G infrastructure, while SA 5G (Standalone) is built on a dedicated 5G infrastructure. In a nutshell, NSA 5G can work with a 4G SIM card, while SA 5G will need a dedicated SIM card to operate.
What Download and Upload Speeds will we get with Vi 5G?
With the combination of mmWave and sub-6GHz frequency bands on a SA 5G architecture, Vi achieved a download speed of 5.92 Gbps during a trial in Pune. Vi also conducted several other trials, which peaked at download speeds of 3.7 Gbps and 1.5 Gbps. The real-world speed will be much lower. However, we are yet to see the real-world speed of Vi 5G.
What are the plans and pricing of Vi 5G?
As of now, there is no official information regarding the plans and pricing of Vi 5G. But because Vi is using mid-band and high-band for its 5G services, Vi 5G will be expensive. The current 4G Vi plans start at around Rs. 300. On that note, we can expect the 5G plans to start at around Rs. 600. This is because Vi is currently debt-ridden and wants to get out of the debt as soon as possible to lay out 5G even better in India.
Final Words
In this post, we shared information about Vi 5G launch, Vi 5G bands, Vi 5G cities list, Vi 5G SIM, Vi 5G speeds, and Vi 5G plans and pricing. We can’t wait for Vi to announce its 5G rollout plans. And this wait should be too long for us. Vi 5G looks promising, and we are excited to try it out once it’s launched.
