Vodafone and Idea finally merge into one brand which will be called Vi (We) in India. Both the telcos announced the formal merger back in 2018 but have continued to operate separately. Now, with the new brand name, the third-largest telco in the country is looking to compete with Jio and Airtel.
The new brand name update is visible on the company website, and gradually you will see the stores also reflecting the new brand identity. Speaking of which, the logo represents V (from Vodafone) and a downward i (from idea) in red colour. It’ll be interesting to see if a new brand name and identity brings a change of fortune for the operator. However, their immediate focus is for some investment that could propel them to face the AGR fees challenge. Vodafone Idea was ordered to pay over Rs 50,000 crore in dues for spectrum, penalty and more.
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Because of this, Vodafone Idea had asked the Supreme Court for around 20 years reprieve to pay the amount. Eventually, they got 10 years period, which is most likely going to affect the tariff plans for consumers. This means unlike Airtel and Jio offering data plans at lower prices, Vi will have to charge is users more. Especially if they want to pay up for the AGR dues.
As per the latest available data from TRAI, Vodafone Idea has lost over 100 million users in the past two years. Its numbers have dropped to around 280 million users, making it the third telco player in the market. It remains to be seen how Vi plans to get new users on board, and whether it can challenge the other two telcos.
Vodafone finally brings eSIM support in India
The telecom operator has finally started supporting eSIMs in the country. The initial availability of Vodafone e-SIMs will be limited only to Apple iPhones. Samsung Galaxy smartphones will be next up on the list. Note that Vodafone customers everywhere will not be able to make use of the service all at once. Vodafone eSIMs will initially be available only in Mumbai, Delhi, and Gujarat telecoms circles.
