NEW DELHI: Vodafone Idea (Vi), India’s third-largest telecom service provider, has narrowed its loss to Rs 6,609 crore in the third quarter of FY25. The telco had posted a net loss of Rs 6,986 crore in the same period in FY24.
Revenue for the quarter rise by 1.7% to Rs 11,120 crore. It reported its highest cash EBITDA since the merger at Rs 2,450 crore, a year-over-year (YoY) growth of about 15%. Debt from banks fell by Rs 5,290 crore over the last year and stood at Rs 2,330 crore.
“With the recent equity infusion of `191 crore from one of our promoters, we have secured Rs 26,000 crore in fresh equity capital over past 10 months. In parallel, we continue to engage with lenders for debt financing, aligning with our planned network expansion investment of Rs 50,000–Rs 55,000 crore over a three-year period. The government’s decision on the bank guarantee waiver underscores its ongoing support for the telecom sector, a critical pillar of Digital India’s future,” said Akshaya Moondra, CEO, Vi.
Average revenue per user (ARPU) rose to Rs 173 in Q3FY25 from Rs166 in the previous quarter, a 4.7% rise. The telco reported a major expansion of its 4G population coverage, adding nearly 41 million people to reach 1.07 billion by the end of December 2024, up from 1.03 billion in March 2024.
Vi is on track to achieve its 4G population coverage target of 1.1 billion by March 2025 and plans to further increase it to 1.2 billion, covering about 90% of the population.
The company will launch its commercial 5G services in Mumbai in March, followed by Delhi, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and Patna in April 2025.