In a steady push to strengthen its next-generation network, telecom operator Vi has officially rolled out its 5G services in Chennai on Wednesday. The launch is being carried out in phases, with 5G already activated across multiple sites in the city and further expansion gaining pace.
As part of its broader plan in Tamil Nadu, Vi will extend its 5G services to Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Tiruppur, Vellore and the Union Territory of Pondicherry by May 2026.
With this development, Vi’s 5G network is now available across all 5 metro cities — Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai — along with 50 additional cities.
The expansion aligns with the company’s larger strategy to roll out 5G services across 133 cities in 17 priority circles. The focus remains on key markets such as industrial hubs, high data usage zones and emerging urban clusters in Tamil Nadu. The rollout planned over the next 2 months will cover major industrial centres like Coimbatore, Salem and Tiruppur, as well as education and healthcare hubs such as Vellore and Tiruchirappalli.
Sai Venkataraman, Circle Business Head – Tamil Nadu, Vi said that Tamil Nadu currently has around 1.46 crore Vi subscribers, with net additions remaining positive over the last 2-3 months. “The launch [of 5G] in Chennai, along with our existing presence in Madurai and upcoming rollouts in cities such as Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Tiruppur and Vellore, marks an important step in this journey. Our investments in strengthening the network, combined with the growing adoption of our Unlimited Data plans like Vi Non-Stop Hero are driving strong growth in data consumption,” he added.
Vi also announced its sponsorship of Chennai Super Kings as the team’s Official Communications Partner for the next 3 seasons. The Chepauk cricket stadium in Chennai is among the locations where 5G services have already been activated.
To enhance its 5G capabilities, Vi has partnered with Nokia to deploy energy-efficient infrastructure and has implemented AI-powered Self-Optimising Networks (SON) to automatically improve network performance.
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