Vodafone Idea (Vi) loses rural subscribers as Spotify offers free premium to its users

Spotify India has launched a three‑month free Premium Standard subscription for Vi customers who have not previously used the service. The offer, activated through the Vi app, provides ad‑free listening, offline downloads and higher sound quality, and can be continued at a monthly rate of ₹139 after the trial. "Our first‑of‑its‑kind telco partnership in India," said Amarjit Batra, Managing Director of Spotify India.

In May 2026, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India reported that Vi added 121,289 mobile subscribers overall but its rural subscriber base fell from 93,227,734 to 93,080,793, a loss of 146,941 users. The decline occurred despite growth in the national rural market, with competitors Airtel and Jio each adding over a million rural subscribers during the same period.