Vodafone Idea (Vi) has expanded its 5G coverage in India to 11 cricket stadiums.

The carrier announced this week that it has launched 5G at the stadiums across 11 cities, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Visakhapatnam.

Vi only launched its 5G network last month after significant delays caused by financial struggles. The carrier switched on its 5G network in Mumbai, India.

According to Vi, it has installed 53 5G sites, upgraded capacity across 44 sites, and deployed nine Cells on Wheels (CoWs) within the vicinity of the stadiums.

The 5G upgrades at the stadiums coincide with the ongoing Indian Premier League, the country's flagship T20 cricket season.

Vi paired with Finnish vendor Nokia to deploy 5G services in Mumbai.

That said, the carrier has struck a number of partnerships with vendors in the last year. Vi signed a $3.6 billion deal with network vendors Nokia, Ericsson, and Samsung in September to bolster its mobile network. It also awarded major 4G and 5G contracts to network vendor Ericsson last year.

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 two years ago this month.

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 to 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.

The company plans to expand its 5G network to more cities across India this year.