Fall in Vodafone Idea subscriber numbers worries promoters

MUMBAI: The Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group Plc are alarmed at the sharp erosion in their telecom JV Vodafone IdeaNSE 0.00 %’s user base, with the carrier having lost about 20 million subscribers to competition in the two quarters to March, top officials familiar with the matter say. Analysts say that the company may have lost a further 15 million subscribers for the quarter ended June 30.

The falling numbers have prompted discussions among the promoters around the future of the company, even if the telco was to be allowed by the Supreme Court to pay its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues over 20 years, said one of the officials. That is because a sharp fall in the number of subscribers would have to be reversed to secure the company’s future.