Airtel’s Sunil Mittal hopes govt will address telcos’ woes
Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal told shareholders in remarks published on Tuesday that the telecom sector is not out of “the woods” yet, and that he hopes the government will look into the urgent requirements of telecom operators.
In a letter published in the annual report, Mittal said the sector requires government support and an end to “long-standing legal disputes” to help revive its financial health.
“While it’s clear that the worst may be behind for India’s telecom industry, we are yet to emerge from the woods. India still has some of the lowest data tariffs globally and the industry is barely able to cover the cost of capital. It requires much more support to repair the deep damage to its finances and make it viable for telecom operators to invest in future technologies.”