Rs 30,000-crore deal for Vi network boost

Vodafone Idea, the country’s third-largest telecom operator by market share, on Sunday said it has signed a Rs 30,000-crore ($3.6 billion) deal with Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung for the supply of 4G and 5G network equipment over three years. The deal is part of the Rs 55,000-crore capital expenditure (capex) guidance given by the company over the next three years to expand the 4G population coverage from 1.03 billion to 1.2 billion and launch 5G in key markets.