Vodafone Idea posts lowest loss in 19 quarters; ARPU rises to ₹180 from ₹166

Telecom major Vodafone Idea Ltd on Monday (November 10) reported a loss of ₹5,524 crore for the quarter ended September 2025, narrowing from a loss of ₹6,608 crore in the previous quarter, marking its lowest quarterly loss in 19 quarters.

Revenue rose 1.6% quarter-on-quarter to ₹11,194 crore from ₹11,022 crore in Q1 FY26. EBITDA also increased 1.6% to ₹4,684.5 crore from ₹4,611 crore in the previous quarter, with the operating margin slightly improving to 41.9% from 41.8% quarter-on-quarter.

The company’s average revenue per user (ARPU) stood at ₹180 for the quarter, up from ₹166 a year earlier.

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The company had a total subscriber base of 196.7 million as of September 30, 2025, with approximately 65% of them being 4G/5G subscribers. Capital expenditure (Capex) for the quarter stood at ₹17.5 billion, while for the first half of FY26 it was ₹42.0 billion. As of September 30, 2025, the company’s debt from banks was ₹15.3 billion, and cash and bank balances totalled ₹30.8 billion.

Vi 5G services were launched in March 2025 and, over six months, expanded to all 17 priority circles where Vodafone Idea holds 5G spectrum. These circles contribute to nearly 99% of the company’s revenue. As of now, 5G services are available in 29 cities, with plans to expand further based on customer demand and 5G handset penetration.

Alongside the 5G rollout, the company continued investing in its high-speed broadband network by adding new 4G sites and upgrading core and transmission networks.

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The 4G population coverage increased to over 84% as of September 2025, up from approximately 77% in March 2024. The 4G data capacity expanded by over 38%, driving a 17% improvement in 4G speeds over the same period. Vodafone Idea expects its 4G population coverage to reach about 90% with ongoing investments.

During the quarter, over 1,500 new unique 4G towers were added, reinforcing the company’s focus on superior connectivity. Around 3,200 new sites were deployed on the sub-GHz 900 MHz spectrum across 16 circles, along with more than 3,600 additional sites on 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz bands, enhancing indoor coverage and network speeds.

The total broadband site count reached approximately 527,000, supported by the deployment of over 13,000 Massive MIMO sites and more than 12,400 small cells. The total number of 4G/5G subscribers increased to 127.8 million from 125.9 million in the same period last year.

Shares of Vodafone Idea Ltd ended at ₹9.51, up by ₹0.100, or 1.04%, on the BSE.