Bharti Airtel poised to be biggest gainer if Voda Idea decides to shut shop

Bharti Airtel could be the biggest gainer among telcos, in case Vodafone Idea decides to shut shop in the country.

Last week, Kumar Mangalam Birla publicly stated that it would have to close down operations of Vodafone Idea, a joint venture between Idea and Vodafone, if there was no relief from the government following the Supreme Court ruling requiring it to fork out over Rs 44,150 crore in three months.

Vodafone Idea has over 311 million customers, of whom 7.3 per cent are postpaid subscribers — the biggest such share among telecom companies. These customers, according to analysts, account for 20 per cent of its revenues.