Vodafone Idea Teams Up with SAR Televenture for Major 4G Expansion – Rollouts to Start Early 2025

Mumbai: Network infrastructure provider SAR Televenture has signed an agreement with Vodafone Idea (Vi) to deploy new 4G small cell sites. The rollouts are expected to begin in the January-March quarter of 2025, highlighting the telecom company’s quick moves to improve its services.

This deal is part of Vi’s larger network expansion plan, for which they have started securing vendors, according to SAR Managing Director Rahul Sahdev. “We aim for a deeper partnership with Vi as there is no operational hitch after the company recently concluded its fundraising.”

Vi did not respond to requests for comments. Sahdev did not disclose any financial terms of the deal with Vi.

SAR, a relatively new player in the telecom tower industry, plans to invest ₹42.5 crore to erect 1,000 new towers. They aim to add tenancies from Vi and state-run BSNL as both network providers are planning significant network expansions.

According to Vi’s regulatory filing, the company intends to set up 26,000 new 4G sites, expand the capacity of its existing 40,800 4G sites, and establish 22,000 new 5G sites over the next two years. The cost for setting up a 4G site is ₹14.5 lakh, with ₹13 lakh allocated for equipment and the remaining for services.

Sahdev mentioned that micro sites are a relatively new opportunity in India, as large tower companies like Indus Towers and Brookfield’s ATC typically deploy macro sites that cover up to 10 kilometers.