Industry is in a bad shape, but Airtel was always safe: Mittal

NEW DELHI: Airtel chief Sunil Mittal sought to distance his company from the financial crisis plaguing the telecom sector, saying, “We were always safe, we were never unsafe.” As he met government officials on Wednesday over the crisis that mobile operators are facing, Mittal said that the industry as a whole remains under stress, even though Airtel is safe.

The reassuring words from one of the country’s most-experienced telecom executives comes amid heightened concerns over the ability of mobile companies, including Vodafone Idea and Airtel, to tide over the financial mess as they scramble to pay the government Rs 1.47 lakh crore, as ordered by the top court in the October 24 AGR judgment.