Indian telco Vodafone Idea (Vi) has stepped up its 5G expansion, launching its network in the greater Delhi area.

The carrier said it hopes to have 5G deployed in 17 of India's 22 telecom circles (regions) by August.

The company has acquired spectrum in those regions.

Vi only launched its 5G mobile network in March, starting in Mumbai.

The telco has also pushed the service live in Chandigarh and Patna, and said it plans to roll out 5G to Bengaluru and Mysuru next.

Vi's 5G rollout in Delhi has been supported by Ericsson, one of the many network vendors the carrier is working with to roll out 5G across India. The rollout in Mumbai was supported by Nokia.

According to Vi, the Ericsson 5G kit is based on 5G Non-Standalone.

The deployment of its 5G service is part of its phased 5G launch strategy, which it plans to invest INR550 billion ($6.4 billion) over the next three years.

Last year, Vodafone Idea chief technology officer Jagbir Singh said that Vi estimates its rollout would include the deployment of 5G equipment to 75,000 existing 4G sites over the next three years.

Vi, which is India's third-largest mobile network operator, has fallen well behind in the 5G race to Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, both of which launched their respective services in 2022.

The company's CEO Akshaya Moondra said last January that the carrier was "six to seven months away" from launching its 5G network, although this failed to happen.

Vi, which was created in 2018 following the merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, has been struggling to pay its dues with its vendor partners after it was saved from the brink of collapse by the Indian government in 2022, which acquired a 35.8 percent stake in the company.