Vodafone Idea (Vi) has partnered with Samsung Networks to launch 5G in Bengaluru.

It follows the carrier's 5G launch in Delhi last month, as Vi continues to make up for lost time with the rollout.

Vi only launched its 5G mobile network in March, starting in Mumbai, and said it hopes to have 5G deployed in 17 of India's 22 telecom circles (regions) by August. The company has acquired spectrum in those locations.

The carrier said last month that 5G will be deployed to Mysuru next.

Vi's 5G rollout in Delhi was supported by Ericsson, one of the many network vendors the carrier is working with to roll out 5G across India, while the rollout in Mumbai was supported by Nokia.

The operator has paired with Samsung for its 5G launch in Bengaluru, building on a partnership signed last year that will see Samsung support Vi's 5G network, and help modernize the carrier's 2G and 4G networks.

“Encouraged by the strong response and robust performance in our launched markets, we are committed to expanding our 5G footprint in line with growing demand and 5G handset adoption," said Anand Dani, business head for Karnataka at Vodafone Idea.

To support the 5G rollout, Samsung provided Vi a wide range of radios across diverse spectrum bands, including 32T32R Massive MIMO radios, along with RAN solutions that encompass baseband and software functions known as the virtualized Central Unit.

Along with the 5G launch, Vi also bolstered its 4G infrastructure in Karnataka, deploying 900MHz spectrum on nearly 3,000 sites to boost indoor coverage. It also doubled 2,100MHz spectrum capacity at 1,800 sites and added 2,100MHz spectrum to more than 1,000 locations.

Last year, Vodafone Idea chief technology officer Jagbir Singh said that Vi estimates its rollout would include the deployment of 5G equipment to 75,000 existing 4G sites over the next three years.

Vi, which is India's third-largest mobile network operator, has fallen well behind in the 5G race to Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, both of which launched their respective services in 2022.

The company's CEO Akshaya Moondra said last January that the carrier was "six to seven months away" from launching its 5G network, although this failed to happen.

Meanwhile, Samsung continues to win contracts to support network rollouts. Earlier this year, the vendor told DCD that it's ready to go head-to-head against more established network vendors.

“I think we were a challenger, I don’t think we’re so much a challenger anymore,” said Stephen Wiktorski, vice president and head of Samsung Networks Canada.