Vi postpaid base hits 33.9 million as Customer ARPU rises

In the second quarter of financial year 2027 (Q2FY27), Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) reported 33.9 million postpaid subscribers and Customer average revenue per user (ARPU) of Rs 198, up 6.0 million and 9.7% respectively from a year earlier. Total subscribers rose sequentially to 194.4 million as of September 30, 2026.

How did Vi’s postpaid base change in Q2FY27?

Vi’s postpaid subscriber base rose to 33.9 million at the end of Q2FY27, from 31.9 million in Q1FY27 and 27.9 million in Q2FY26. The company therefore added 2.0 million postpaid subscribers sequentially and 6.0 million over 12 months, while its total end-of-period subscriber base was 194.4 million.

The postpaid base increased in each of the five quarters disclosed, moving from 27.9 million in Q2FY26 to 28.8 million in Q3FY26, 30.1 million in Q4FY26, 31.9 million in Q1FY27 and 33.9 million in Q2FY27. Over the same year, total subscribers declined by 2.3 million from 196.7 million, showing that postpaid growth occurred despite a smaller overall base than in Q2FY26.

What drove Vi’s Customer ARPU increase to Rs 198?

Vi said Customer ARPU, which excludes machine-to-machine (M2M) connections, increased to Rs 198 in Q2FY27 from Rs 180 in Q2FY26, primarily supported by customer upgrades. It also rose from Rs 195 in Q1FY27, representing a Rs 3 sequential increase and the fifth consecutive quarterly increase in the reported series.

Blended ARPU increased to Rs 178 in Q2FY27 from Rs 167 a year earlier and Rs 177 in the preceding quarter. Customer ARPU was Rs 20 above blended ARPU in Q2FY27, but Vi did not provide a separate postpaid revenue figure or quantify the number of customers upgrading to specific plans.

Revenue from operations increased 6.2% year on year to Rs 11,884 crore in Q2FY27 from Rs 11,195 crore in Q2FY26. Customer ARPU increased 9.7% over that period while the total subscriber base fell to 194.4 million from 196.7 million, a combination that is consistent with the company’s stated focus on customer upgrades.

How did Vi’s subscriber mix and churn change?

Vi’s total subscriber base increased by 1.3 million sequentially from 193.1 million in Q1FY27 to 194.4 million in Q2FY27. Total data subscribers rose by 0.4 million during the quarter to 136.4 million and were 1.7 million higher than the 134.7 million reported in Q2FY26.

The 4G/5G subscriber base reached 131.0 million in Q2FY27, up from 130.1 million in Q1FY27 and 127.8 million a year earlier. Vi defines total data subscribers as customers using 2G, 4G and 5G technologies, meaning 4G/5G subscribers accounted for most of its 136.4 million data subscribers at quarter-end.

Vi reported 167.8 million visitor location register (VLR) subscribers at the end of Q2FY27, compared with 167.0 million in Q1FY27 and 171.5 million in Q2FY26. Blended churn was 4.0% in Q2FY27, up from 3.8% in Q1FY27 but below 4.3% a year earlier.

What network expansion supported Vi’s Q2FY27 metrics?

Vi reported 4G population coverage of 87.8% in September 2026, compared with 87.0% in Q1FY27 and 84.4% in Q2FY26. Its 5G coverage had expanded to 400 Indian cities and towns across the 17 key circles where it holds 5G spectrum, while 2G population coverage remained at 91.3% in all five reported quarters.

Total unique broadband towers increased to 213,616 in Q2FY27 from 204,893 in Q1FY27 and 191,096 in Q2FY26. Vi said it added nearly 9,000 unique broadband towers during the quarter, its highest quarterly addition in nine quarters, and total broadband sites rose to 610,521 from 580,883 in Q1FY27.

Vi said it had extended 4G coverage to an additional 45 million people since Q2FY26 and added more than 22,500 unique broadband towers over the same 12-month period. Management expects planned investments to lift 4G population coverage in the 17 key circles to more than 95%, which is a target rather than reported achieved coverage.

How did Vi’s usage and financial measures move in Q2FY27?

Vi’s daily data usage rose to 93.6 petabytes in Q2FY27 from 88.4 petabytes in Q1FY27 and 73.6 petabytes in Q2FY26. Average data usage per 4G/5G subscriber increased to 23.0 gigabytes from 21.7 gigabytes sequentially and 18.5 gigabytes a year earlier, alongside the rise in the 4G/5G base to 131.0 million.

Total minutes of use declined to 340 billion minutes in Q2FY27 from 341 billion in Q1FY27 and 346 billion in Q2FY26. Average minutes of use per user was 585 minutes, down from 590 minutes in Q1FY27 and equal to the Q2FY26 level, contrasting with the increase in data consumption.

Cash earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Cash EBITDA) rose to Rs 2,498 crore in Q2FY27 from Rs 2,246 crore in Q2FY26, and its margin increased to 21.0% from 20.1%. Cash EBITDA was Rs 2,475 crore in Q1FY27, while the margin was 21.2%, so the sequential margin declined even as revenue rose 1.7%.

Conclusion

Vi’s Q2FY27 metrics show that postpaid additions and higher Customer ARPU were accompanied by a sequential increase in total subscribers, 4G/5G users and data consumption. The 6.0 million year-on-year increase in postpaid subscribers contrasted with a 2.3 million decline in the total subscriber base, while Customer ARPU rose from Rs 180 to Rs 198.

The next disclosed operating measure to watch is management’s plan to raise 4G population coverage above 95% in its 17 key circles. Vi had placed capex orders worth more than Rs 13,200 crore toward its three-year capex guidance and secured funding of more than Rs 10,500 crore through H1FY27, including more than Rs 4,000 crore of incremental bank funding arranged in Q2FY27.