Vodafone Idea Trims July-September Net Loss to ₹55.24 Billion; ARPU Rises to ₹180

Vodafone Idea Ltd. reported a smaller loss for the July–September quarter of 2025–26 (Apr–Mar) as higher average revenue per user (ARPU) and improved 4G coverage supported performance.

The telecom operator posted a net loss of ₹55.24 billion, narrower than the ₹71.76 billion loss in the same quarter last year and the ₹66.08 billion loss in the preceding June quarter. Consolidated revenue from operations rose 2.4% on year to ₹111.95 billion from ₹109.32 billion, led by stronger ARPU.

ARPU rose 8.5% on year to ₹180 from ₹166 in the year-ago period and was slightly higher than ₹177 in the June quarter, beating analysts’ expectations of ₹166. The growth was supported by customer upgrades and tariff revisions.

At the operating level, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) increased to ₹46.85 billion from ₹45.50 billion a year ago, while margins improved marginally to 41.9% from 41.6%.

Vodafone Idea said its 4G user additions and network investments drove performance, with 4G population coverage expanding to over 84% as of September 2025 from 77% in March 2024. The company’s 4G data capacity grew by more than 38%, improving 4G speeds by 17%.

It ended the quarter with 127.8 million 4G/5G subscribers, up from 125.9 million a year ago. However, the total subscriber base slipped slightly to 196.7 million from 197.7 million in the previous quarter.

Vodafone Idea launched its 5G services in March and has since expanded coverage across all 17 priority circles, which together contribute nearly 99% of its revenue.

The company said it continues to invest in capacity expansion and remains in talks with lenders to secure debt funding for its broader capex plan of ₹500–550 billion. Capital expenditure for the September quarter stood at ₹17.5 billion.