Vodafone Idea
Vodafone Idea Limited[11][12] is an Indian telecom operator[13] with its headquarters based in Mumbai, Maharashtra and Gandhinagar, Gujarat.[14][15] Vodafone Idea is a pan-India integrated GSM operator offering 2G, 3G and 4G, 4G+ and VoLTE.Vodafone Idea various service brands are: [16] [17]
- Vodafone – a postpaid & Prepaid GSM service. [16] [17]
- Idea – a prepaid GSM service, similar to Vodafone Prepaid.[16][17]Vodafone Idea also provides services including Mobile payments, IoT, enterprise offerings and entertainment, accessible via both digital channels as well as on-ground touch points, centres across the country.[18] As of 31 March 2020, Vodafone Idea has a subscriber base of 319.19 million,[7] making it third largest mobile telecommunications network in India and fifth largest mobile telecommunications network in the world.[12] Vodafone Idea has a broadband network of 340,000 sites, distribution reach of 1.7 million retail outlets.[18]
Public | |
Traded as | |
ISIN | INE669E01016 |
Industry | Telecommunications |
Predecessor | |
Founded | 31 August 2018 |
Headquarters | Mumbai (Corp.)[2][3] Gandhinagar (Reg.) |
Key people | Kumar Mangalam Birla (Chairman) Ravinder Takkar (CEO)[4] |
Products | Mobile telephony Wireless broadband Internet services |
Revenue | |
Total assets | |
Total equity | |
Owners | Vodafone Group (45.1%) Aditya Birla Group (26.0%) Axiata Group Berhad (8.17%) Private Equity (20.73%) [6] |
Members | 279.80 million[7][8]
(30 June 2020) |
Number of employees | 13,520 (2019)[9] |
Subsidiaries | You Broadband Limited[10] |
Website | www |
On 31 August 2018, Vodafone India merged with Idea Cellular, and was renamed as Vodafone Idea Limited. However, the merged entity continues using both the Idea and Vodafone brand.[19] Currently, the Vodafone Group holds a 45.1% stake in the combined entity, the Aditya Birla Group holds 26% and the remaining shares will be held by the public.[12] Kumar Mangalam Birla heads the merged company as the Chairman and Balesh Sharma used to be the CEO. After a plunge in share price of Vodafone Idea by 80% on NSE, Balesh Sharma resigned citing personal reasons. Ravinder Takkar, Ex-CEO of Vodafone Romania and the key deal negotiator from Vodafone has taken over the reigns as CEO.[4]
History
The entry of Jio in 2016 had led to various mergers and consolidations in the Indian telecom sector.[20] It was announced in March 2017 that even Idea Cellular and Vodafone India would be merged. The merger got approval from Department Of Telecommunications in July 2018. On August 30, 2018, National Company Law Tribunal gave the final nod to the Vodafone-Idea merger [21] The merger was completed on 31 August 2018, and the newly merged entity was named Vodafone Idea Limited.[22][23][12] The merger created the largest telecom company in India by subscribers and by revenue. Under the terms of the deal, the Vodafone Group holds a 45.2% stake in the combined entity, the Aditya Birla Group holds 26% and the remaining shares will be held by the public.[12]
Network
Radio frequency summary
Vodafone Idea Limited owns spectrum in 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz and 2500 MHz bands across the country.[24]
Telecom circle coverage | E-GSM/ FD-LTE 900MHz Band 8 |
GSM / FD-LTE 1800MHz Band 3 |
UMTS / FD-LTE 2100MHz Band 1 |
TD-LTE 2300MHz Band 40 |
TD-LTE 2500MHz Band 41 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Delhi | |||||
Mumbai | |||||
Kolkata | |||||
Chennai | |||||
Andhra Pradesh & Telangana | |||||
Gujarat | |||||
Karnataka | |||||
Maharashtra & Goa | |||||
Tamil Nadu | |||||
Haryana | |||||
Kerala | |||||
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh | |||||
Punjab | |||||
Rajasthan | |||||
Uttar Pradesh (East) | |||||
Uttar Pradesh (West) | |||||
West Bengal | |||||
Assam | |||||
Bihar & Jharkhand | |||||
Himachal Pradesh | |||||
Jammu and Kashmir | |||||
North East | |||||
Odisha |
This table contains Vodafone Idea (merged entity) radio frequency details because they had integrated their networks with each other and using one anchor network for both brands in all respective telecom circles. For example, Idea has started 4G services in Delhi and Kolkata telecom circle from May 2018 where the Vodafone is anchor network vice versa Vodafone has Started 4G services in Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Bihar & Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir telecom Circle's where Idea is Anchor network. .[25][26]
Network consolidation
By March 2019, Vodafone Idea Limited announced its network consolidation across major circles, easing network issues faced by consumers and also enhancing its 4G coverage. Announcements of Network Consolidation were made as below
State | No of Towns Covered | No of Villages Covered | Coverage area %/kms |
---|---|---|---|
Haryana[27] | 145 | 6520 | 99.5% |
ROWB[28] | 878 | 37585 | 97% |
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh[29] | 664 | 53130 | 60% |
Jammu and Kashmir[30] | 110 | 3301 | |
AP & Telangana[31] | 391 | 19700 | 92.5% |
Bihar & Jharkhand [32] | 431 | 43503 | 79% |
HP[33] | 59 | 11929 |
Enhanced 4G coverage details
State | No of Towns Covered | No of districts Covered | Population % |
---|---|---|---|
Haryana[27] | 22 | 76.08% | |
ROWB[28] | 838 | 27 | 78% |
Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh [29] | 633 | 77 | 52% |
Jammu and Kashmir[30] | 48 | 9 | 23.6% |
AP & Telangana [31] | 381 | 23 | 67% |
Bihar & Jharkhand[34] | 343 | 56 | 45.3% |
HP[33] | 45 | 8 | 43% |
Punjab network consolidation
Vodafone Idea Ltd., India’s leading telecom service provider announced the successful consolidation of its radio network integration in Punjab service area. With this, Punjab is amongst the first ten circles to complete integration in the world’s largest network integration exercise which is currently underway in India.[35]
Rajasthan network consolidation Vodafone Idea Ltd., India’s leading telecom service provider announced the successful consolidation of its radio network integration in Rajasthan service area. With this, Rajasthan is amongst the first eleven circles to complete integration in the world’s largest network integration exercise which is currently underway in India.
According to the telecom regulator's data, the pan India wireless subscriber base of Vodafone Idea at the end of March 2019 stood at 394.8 million. The statement on network consolidation in Punjab, said 4G services have been enhanced for both Vodafone and Idea customers in cities including Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Bathinda, Moga, and Hoshiarpur. And in Rajasthan Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kota, Ajmer, Udaipur among others.[36]
Massive MIMO
Vodafone Idea deployed technologies such as massive MIMO, small cells, TDD sites to enhance coverage and network capacity in Mumbai and Delhi during March. As part of the modernization exercise, the company deployed more than 5000 massive MIMO, small cells and TDD sites across Church gate, Prabhadevi, Pali hill, Lokhandwala, Versova, Andheri, Jogeshwari, Bandra and Dadar among other regions[37] The company also deployed more than 4,000 Massive Mimo, small cells and TDD sites across the New Delhi and NCR region.[38]
Turbo-net
Vodafone Idea has launched "TurboNet" 4G services in select cities of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Rest of Bengal (including Kolkata) circles. The launch of TurboNet 4G follows the consolidation of its radio network integration and the deployment of technologies such as Dynamic Spectrum Re-farming (DSR), Spectrum Re-farming, M-MIMO, L900, TDD, and Small Cells to further boost network capacity and coverage across large parts of the country.[39]
Broadband
You Broadband (wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Idea)[41] which offers fixed line broadband (FTTH) and voice services (VoIP) in indian major cities which includes Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Kakinada, Mumbai, Nagpur, Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Navsari, Powai, Pune, Rajkot, Surat, Thane, Vadodara, Valsad, Vapi, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.[42]
See also
- Vodafone Group
- Aditya Birla Group
- Axiata Group Berhad
- Vodafone India
- Idea Cellular Limited
- Telecommunications in India
- List of telecom companies in India
- List of mobile network operators
References
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- investor-relations, Vodafone Idea Limited
- investor support, Vodafone Idea Limited
- Vodafone Idea CEO resigns
- "Vodafone Idea Annual Results 2020" (PDF). vodafoneidea.com.
- "Axiata Share Holdings Pattern". Live Mint.com. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- "Press Release on Telecom Subscription Data as on 30 April 2020" (PDF). Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. 30 April 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- "Q1-Report-FY 2020-21 By Vodafone Idea Limited" (PDF). 6 August 2020.
- "Vodafone Idea Annual Results 2020". vodafoneidea.com.
- "About us". You Broadband Limited. 29 June 2019.
- "Vodafone Idea posts highest-ever loss by an Indian firm at Rs 73,878 crore in FY20". The Economic Times. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- "Disclosure under Regulation 30 of SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015" (PDF). BSE. BSE. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- 31, ET Now | Aug; 2018; Ist, 05 02 Pm, Vodafone Idea Limited: Vodafone Idea replaces Airtel as India's largest telco, retrieved 4 September 2018CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
- "India's Idea Cellular Will Use Nokia's Cloud Core". SDxCentral. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- "Vodafone Mini Stores in Mumbai Will Now Facilitate Tata Power Bill Payments via M-Pesa e-wallet - MySmartPrice News". MySmartPrice. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
- "Vodafone idea postpaid services consolidated". The Economics time Telecom. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- "Vodafone idea will drop idea brand from postpaid service's". The Economics time. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
- "Vodafone completes merger with Idea, creates India's largest mobile operator - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- "Bought shares of Idea Cellular and Vodafone India completed - creating India's largest telecom service provider" (PDF). Idea. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- Raj, Amrit (21 October 2017). "The shakeup in India's telecom sector". www.livemint.com. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- Parbat, Kalyan; Sengupta, Devina (31 August 2018). "NCLT gives go-ahead to Idea-Vodafone merger". The Economic Times. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
- "Idea approves merger with Vodafone India, to create India's largest telco". The Economic Times. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- Kurup, Rajesh (20 March 2017). "Idea Cellular board approves merger with Vodafone India; shares tank 9%". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 20 March 2017.
- Pan India Telecom Spectrum holding chart 2020 (updated), Only Tech, retrieved 30 October 2019
- Idea Cellular 4G Services Now Live in Delhi With Vodafone Network, Telecom Talk, retrieved 15 July 2018
- Idea to launch VoLTE in March, inks 4G ICR agreement with Vodafone, ET Telecom, retrieved 15 July 2018
- www.ETTelecom.com. "Vodafone Idea completes radio network consolidation in Haryana - ET Telecom". ETTelecom.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- www.ETTelecom.com. "Vodafone Idea completes radio network consolidation in rest of West Bengal - ET Telecom". ETTelecom.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- "Vodafone Idea Successfully Completes Radio Network Consolidation In Madhya Pradesh And Chhattisgarh". Communications Today. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- "Vodafone Idea completes network integration in J&K". The Economic Times. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- Bureau, Our. "Vodafone Idea completes radio network consolidation in AP & Telangana". @businessline. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- Dua, Priyanka (24 February 2019). "Vodafone Idea radio network integration in Bihar, Jharkhand". https://www.gizbot.com/. Retrieved 13 June 2019. External link in
|website=
(help) - www.ETTelecom.com. "Vodafone Idea completes radio network consolidation in Punjab - ET Telecom". ETTelecom.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- Dua, Priyanka (24 February 2019). "Vodafone Idea radio network integration in Bihar, Jharkhand". https://www.gizbot.com/. Retrieved 13 June 2019. External link in
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(help) - "Vodafone Idea Successfully Completes Radio Network Consolidation In Punjab". Communications Today. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- India, Press Trust of (28 May 2019). "Vodafone Idea completes network consolidation in Punjab". Business Standard India. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- www.ETTelecom.com. "Vodafone Idea deploys 5,000 Massive MIMO, small cells, TDD sites in Mumbai - ET Telecom". ETTelecom.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- www.ETTelecom.com. "Vodafone Idea deploys 5G-ready sites in Delhi NCR - ET Telecom". ETTelecom.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- www.ETTelecom.com. "Vodafone-Idea ups 4G speeds via network up-gradation in many cities - ET Telecom". ETTelecom.com. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- www.vodafone.in. "Vodafone-Idea wifi hotspot services". vodafone.in. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
- Parbat, Kalyan (12 September 2019). "Vodafone Idea looks to bundle broadband with top 4G plans". The Economic Times. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- www.youbroadband.in. "Vodafone-Idea Wholly owned subsidiary You Broadband". youbroadband.in. Retrieved 11 April 2019.