Debt-ridden telecom operator Vodafone Idea’s 5G services launch will depend on several factors such as use cases, customer demand, competitive dynamics, etc., a senior official of the company has said.

Speaking at the 27th annual general meeting, Vi Managing Director and CEO Ravinder Takkar said that the promoters of the company have invested Rs. 4,940 crore and the company is in active discussion with investors to fundraise.

VIL acquired spectrum worth Rs.18,800 crore, which includes radio waves in the mid-band (3,300 MHz band) in 17 priority circles and spectrum in the 26 GHz band in 16 circles for 5G services. The company also acquired an additional 4G spectrum in three circles of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Punjab, PTI reported from New Delhi.

The fresh spectrum bid adds an annual instalment liability of Rs. 1,680 crore to the company.

Takkar said that the company has now acquired spectrum in all the frequency bands and further strengthened its 4G spectrum holding with the acquisition of additional radio waves in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Punjab.

On the other note, VIL has posted a marginal narrowing of its consolidated loss at Rs. 7,296.7 crores for the June quarter compared to the year-ago period, as tariff hikes boosted its realizations. The telco’s loss stood at Rs. 7,319.1 crores in the year-ago quarter.

VIL’s revenue from operations grew to about Rs. 10,410 crores in the quarter ended June 30, 2022, improving nearly 14 percent from the year-ago period, the company added.