Interview: Bharti Chairman Sunil Mittal on Vodafone Idea dues, duopoly concerns, 5G and ARPU, tariff hike

Bharti Enterprises chairman Sunil Mittal says Vodafone Idea urgently needs $7-9 billion capital infusion to survive and a patient investor who has the wherewithal to withstand negative cash flows for some years. In an interview with Sruthijith KK on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Mittal said ARPU (average revenue per user) needs to increase as 5G has been a huge load on telcos without any revenue coming through. Edited excerpts.

What’s the mood in Davos this time? Is it upbeat compared with the previous years? Or is it downcast?