Vi seeks DoT nod to retain expiring 4G spectrum

Mumbai: Vodafone Idea (Vi) has approached the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) to ensure continuity of services as a major chunk of its 4G spectrum holdings is scheduled for renewal in December 2026, with no new auctions planned in the near term.

"There are eight circles where the spectrum is due," chief executive Abhijit Kishore said on Friday. "We have already represented ourselves to the Department of Telecommunication of our interest in continuing with that...Our services are not going to be disrupted at all," he told analysts during the company's September-quarter earnings call.

He did not disclose whether the government has approved an interim order or what payments are required to continue using the spectrum.


Vi faces the expiry of portions of its 1800 MHz spectrum in seven telecom circles this December and an eighth in March 2027 across Assam, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Mumbai, North East, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.

Management told analysts it had approached the telecom department to continue using the expiring spectrum and expected no service disruption.

As of September-end, Vi's overall subscriber base stood at 194.4 million, of whom 131 million were 4G/5G users, accounting for about 67% of the total.

The comments come as India's third-largest telecom operator, behind Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, has stepped up network investments and is in the process of concluding a ₹35,000-crore financing package with lenders.

Kishore said discussions with a State Bank of India-led public sector bank consortium were "very close to the closure", although the involvement of multiple lenders had stretched the process beyond the company's initial expectations.