Cash-strapped Vodafone Idea holds out hope for struggling 5G gear companies

Cash-strapped Vodafone Idea (Vi) is set to gain from a slump in demand for 5G network gear globally, including India, that has dented recent earnings at companies such as Nokia and Ericsson.

Despite the Indian telecom operator’s precarious financial condition, global network equipment vendors are likely to prefer working with Vi, which still has more than 200 million users, but needs to urgently expand 4G network capacity and also start 5G rollouts to compete effectively with bigger rivals Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.