Indian telco Vodafone Idea (Vi) has awarded major 4G and 5G contracts to network vendor Ericsson.

The partnership will see Ericsson bolster existing 4G and deploy 5G across the Indian regions it already covers for the telco.

Ericsson will provide 4G and 5G services to Vodafone across Delhi, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan.

Vodafone Idea
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The announcement of the contracts follows a $3.6 billion deal that Vi signed with network vendors Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung a couple of weeks ago.

That particular contract will see the trio of vendors supply Vi with network equipment for the next three years.

Ericsson noted that it will deploy energy-efficient and lightweight Ericsson radio products such as mid-band Massive MIMO antenna-integrated radios for Vi's network.

At present, Vi has yet to launch 5G services in India, falling behind Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, both of which launched the service in October 2022.

Vodafone Idea CEO Akshaya Moondra said in January that the carrier is about "six to seven months away" from launching the service. However, a launch has yet to take place.

“Collaborating with Ericsson will enable Vi to modernize its 4G network and rapidly deploy a world class 5G network," said Moondra about the company's agreement with Ericsson.

"5G deployment will enable us to seamlessly manage the growing data traffic on the Vi network, provide secure and reliable connectivity while enhancing the customer experience from the network.”

The telco has previously declined to comment to DCD when asked about its proposed 5G rollout plans. Today's announcement still didn't outline a specific roadmap for a 5G launch date.

Vi, which was created in 2018 following the merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, has been struggling to pay its dues with its vendor partners after it was saved from the brink of collapse by the Indian government in 2022, which acquired a 35.8 percent stake in the company.

The financial issues have meant that Vi has fallen behind on payments to its tower and equipment vendors, owing 135 billion rupees ($1.6bn).

In June, Vi issued close to $300 million worth of shares to Ericsson and Nokia as part of the company's strategy to clear its dues. It means that Nokia owns a 1.5 percent stake in Vi, while Ericsson owns 0.9 percent of the telco.