Vodafone Idea (Vi) continued to reel under mounting subscriber losses in April, shedding 600,000 users overall and over 1.1 million active users, in what signals a sustained churn despite the recent launch of its 5G services.

The losses are significant, especially at a time when the telco was expected to stabilise its base through aggressive network expansion and fresh investments. Vi’s subscriber erosion has now been widening month-on-month, with 500,000 users lost in March and 200,000 in February, highlighting the deepening challenge of customer retention in a highly competitive market.

According to The Economic Times, this trend comes even as the company continues to roll out 4G and 5G services across key Indian markets. However, the prolonged delay in commercial monetisation of 5G and the lack of widespread handset support have limited Vi’s ability to capitalise on the new technology — something its larger rivals, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, have been quicker to exploit.

In stark contrast, Reliance Jio topped the subscriber addition chart in April, adding 2.1 million users, reinforcing its position as the market leader. Airtel followed with a net gain of 1.3 million users, further consolidating its strength across urban and rural markets. Jio’s gains are largely attributed to its aggressive 5G rollout, competitive prepaid offerings, and wider rural penetration.

Vi’s continuing losses come at a critical juncture for the company, which is looking to raise funds to strengthen its operations and reduce debt. Analysts say the telco needs to improve not just coverage but also consumer perception around network quality, affordability, and digital services.

Market experts suggest that Vi’s inability to convert its 5G rollout into a substantial customer pull, coupled with the lack of competitive postpaid and bundled offerings, is accelerating the migration of users to more agile rivals. Unless it manages to arrest the churn and boost user stickiness through innovation and value-driven packs, the road to recovery will remain uphill.