IDEA

Nov 10 (Reuters) - India's Vodafone Idea VODA.NS posted a smaller-than-expected second-quarter loss on Monday, aided by more users upgrading to its higher-margin 4G and 5G plans.

The debt-saddled telecom operator's consolidated loss after tax narrowed to 55.24 billion rupees ($628.5 million) in the quarter ended September 30, from a loss of 71.76 billion rupees last year.

Analysts, on average, had expected a loss of 66.22 billion rupees, according to data compiled by LSEG.

($1 = 87.8950 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Aleef Jahan and Anuran Sadhu in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]))

** India's Vodafone Idea VODA.NS tumbles 12.3% to 8.21 rupees, set for third straight session of losses

** Top loser among Nifty 500 .NIFTY500 stocks

** Drops on uncertainty over government relief on adjusted gross revenue dues

** Beleaguered telecom operator's stock hit one-year high of 10.57 rupees on Monday on hopes of a relief after apex court permitted government to reconsider the matter

** "The Supreme Court order applies only to the incremental AGR demand. It depends on the government now. Unless there is a substantial relief, it is not going to make a major difference for Vodafone Idea's stock," says Piyush Pandey, lead analyst tracking the telecom operator at Centrum India

** Analysts on avg rate stock "hold"; median PT at 6.25 rupees, per data from LSEG

** YTD, VODA up 3.4%

(Reporting by Vivek Kumar M)

(([email protected];))

Oct 6 (Reuters) -

• INDIA WEIGHS RESOLUTION OF VODAFONE DUES ROW TO BOLSTER UK TIES - BLOOMBERG NEWS

Source text: https://tinyurl.com/3ndtd6me

Further company coverage: VOD.L

(([email protected];))

Oct 3 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• VODAFONE IDEA LTD - APPOINTMENT OF MR. TEJAS MEHTA AS THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

• VODAFONE IDEA LTD - END OF TENURE OF MURTHY GVAS AS THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

([email protected])

** Shares of Vodafone Idea VODA.NS down 6% to 8.2 rupees

** India's top court defers hearing VODA's plea over additional telecom dues to Oct 6, Moneycontrol says

** The telecom operator seeks to quash fresh demand of telecom dues worth 94.5 billion rupees ($1.1 billion) from government

** Hearing deferred following government seeking more time to respond to VODA's plea

** Stock set to fall most in a session in a month

** VODA on track to snap three straight weeks of gains

** Avg rating of 19 analysts is "hold" and median PT is 7 rupees - data compiled by LSEG

** YTD, VODA up ~9%

($1 = 88.6900 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Anuran Sadhu in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]; +91 8697274436;))

Sept 19 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• VODAFONE IDEA LTD - CHALLENGED ADDITIONAL AGR DEMANDS RAISED BY DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

• VODAFONE IDEA LTD - SUPREME COURT HEARING ON AGR MATTER SET FOR SEPT 26

Source text: ID:nBSEbF3LD7

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];;))

Sept 18 (Reuters) - Tata Consultancy Services Ltd TCS.NS:

• TCS - PARTNERED WITH VODAFONE IDEA TO TRANSFORM THEIR BUSINESS SUPPORT SYSTEM

• TATA CONSULTANCY SERVICES LTD - FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT TO HELP VI UNLOCK NEW CAPABILITIES

Source text: ID:nnAZN4JFW6G

Further company coverage: TCS.NS

(([email protected];))

** Vodafone Idea VODA.NS slips 9.5% to 6.68 rupees; top loser on Nifty midcap index

** Government not considering additional relief for co on pending Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues, PTI reports citing Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani

** Government converted co's outstanding spectrum auction dues into equity in April

** Co, government didn't immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment

** Vodafone Idea has 840 bln rupees ($9.6 bln) in pending dues

** Stock gained ~15% in last two sessions on reports of government cutting regulatory dues for telco

** VODA rated "hold" on avg; median PT at 7 rupees, per data compiled by LSEG

** YTD, stock falls ~16%

($1 = 87.5060 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Komal Salecha)

(([email protected];))

** Shares of Vodafone Idea VODA.NS rise as much as 9.5% to 7.17 rupees, set for biggest one-day jump since April 21

** NDTV Profit reports citing sources that government may slash telecom dues for co, Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS

** BRTI is up 0.25%

** If approved, VODA's dues will be reduced to 280 billion rupees ($3.2 billion) from 834 billion rupees, while BRTI's dues will fall to 100 billion rupees from 420 billion rupees, the report said

** VODA, BRTI and the India government did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment

** VODA shares are down 10.5% in 2025, while BRTI has gained 22%

($1 = 87.5000 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Nishit Navin in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]))

** Vodafone Idea VODA.NS gains 4.7% to 6.44 rupees; marks biggest intraday pct gain in more than a month

** Co posts smaller-than-expected Q1 loss as telecom operator continues to benefit from last year's price hikes

** Appoints insider Abhijit Kishore as CEO effective August 19

** Stock rated "hold" on avg; median PT is 7 rupees, per data compiled by LSEG

** YTD, VODA falls 18.9% vs Bharti Airtel's BRTI.NS 18.7% gains

(Reporting by Aleef Jahan in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]))

June 20 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• VODAFONE IDEA - PROMOTERS WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE OPERATIONAL CONTROL

• VODAFONE IDEA - SIGNIFICANT HEADROOM IN ARPU SINCE IT HAS NOT INCREASED IN LINE WITH USAGE

• VODAFONE IDEA - SUFFICIENT SPECTRUM AVALIABLE TO SUPPORT 4G SUBSCRIBER MIGRATION TO 5G

• VODAFONE IDEA - HIGH SPECTRUM PER MILLION SUBS EXPECTED TO DRIVE NEAR TERM GROWTH

Source text: ID:nBSEbLRkS7

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];))

Updates

** India's Vodafone Idea VODA.NS drops 8.2% to 6.80 rupees; on course to snap three-session gaining streak

** India's Supreme Court dismisses VODA's plea seeking court's help for government rejecting to waive its telecom dues

** VODA dropped 5% in early trade after it asked Supreme Court to intervene "in public interest" after government rejected request to waive over $5 bln dues

** CEO Akshaya Moondra says, "no support will lead to a point of no return" and Vodafone "will not be able to operate beyond FY26"

** Analysts on average rate VODA "hold"; median PT 7.85 rupees, as per LSEG data

** YTD, stock down ~14% vs ~15% gain in rival Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS

(Reporting by Kashish Tandon and Vivek Kumar M)

(([email protected];))

May 2 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• VODAFONE IDEA LTD - AMENDS SHAREHOLDERS' AGREEMENT QUALIFYING THRESHOLD TO 10%

• VODAFONE IDEA - STAKE OF ADITYA BIRLA GROUP, VODAFONE GROUP STANDS AT 9.50%, 16.07% RESPECTIVELY

Source text: ID:nBSE9cq13y

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];))

April 8 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• ALLOTS 36.95 BILLION SHARES TO GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

• GOVERNMENT OF INDIA SHAREHOLDING IN VODAFONE IDEA AT 48.99%

Source text: ID:nBSE7lLKVh

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];;))

Removes incorrect reference to exchange-set trading limit in paragraph 3. The copy was corrected earlier to clarify some, not all, spectrum dues would be converted.

April 1 (Reuters) - Shares of Vodafone Idea VODA.NS surged 10% in on Tuesday after the Indian government said it would convert a part of the telecom company's outstanding spectrum auction dues into equity, helping lower the firm's debt load.

The government's stake in Vodafone Idea will increase to 48.99%, from 22.6%, after it converts 369.5 billion rupees ($4.32 billion) of outstanding spectrum auction dues into equity, Vodafone Idea said late on Sunday.

The company's shares jumped 10% to 7.48 rupees and were on track to log their best day in more than four months.

($1 = 85.4780 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)

(([email protected]; +918447554364;))

March 30 (Reuters) - The Indian government will increase its stake in Vodafone Idea VODA.NS to approximately 48.99% by converting 369.5 billion rupees ($4.3 billion) in outstanding spectrum auction dues into equity, a regulatory filing from the company showed on Sunday.

The Ministry of Communications has directed Vodafone Idea to issue 36.95 billion shares at 10 rupees each, the filing said, boosting the government's stake from 22.6%. The government is already the largest shareholder in the telecom company, according to LSEG data.

Vodafone Idea - formed by a merger between the Indian arm of the UK's Vodafone Group VOD.L and Aditya Birla Group's Idea Cellular in 2018 - said its initial investors will continue to have operational control despite the increased government stake.

The move aligns with the government's September 2021 relief package announced for the telecom sector.

In December, the company announced a plan to raise up to 19.80 billion rupees through the issue of preferential shares.

As of September 2024, the debt-saddled firm's total debt pile stood at 2.16 trillion rupees, including deferred spectrum payment obligations it owes to the government.

The company in February reported a smaller-than-expected third-quarter loss.

($1 = 85.5340 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Pretish M J and Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Editing by David Holmes)

(([email protected]; +91 8056974974;))

Adds context, details from paragraph 2 onwards

March 26 (Reuters) - India's Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS and its unit Bharti Hexacom BHAX.NS have prepaid 59.85 billion rupees ($698.33 million) to the government, fully clearing "high-cost" liabilities from the 2024 spectrum auctions, the telecom company said on Wednesday.

Airtel, the country's no.2 telecom firm by user base, has been prepaying high-cost spectrum dues that it and other Indian telecom operators owe the government, following years of high-stakes auctions and aggressive bidding for airwaves.

The latest payment has trimmed Airtel's debt pile related to spectrum to 520 billion rupees, bringing down the cost of debt to 7.22%, the company said.

Airtel's early payments now total 666.65 billion rupees ($7.78 billion), it said, adding that it has settled liabilities with interest rates of 10%, 9.75%, and 9.3% about seven years before their average maturity dates.

The latest payment was made for liabilities that carried an interest rate of 8.65%, Airtel said, without specifying when the debt was previously due.

Peer Vodafone Idea VODA.NS owes about 1.42 trillion rupees in spectrum dues as of September 2024.

Another Airtel subsidiary, Network i2i, also redeemed $1 billion in perpetual debt securities - a debt instrument with no fixed maturity date - reducing the company’s outstanding perpetual notes to $479 million, the telecom company said.

Airtel's shares closed 0.5% higher on Wednesday after the announcement.

($1 = 85.7050 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Aleef Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)

(([email protected]))

March 25 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• VODAFONE IDEA - SIGNS MOU WITH WEST BENGAL GOVERNMENT. TO OFFER DIGITAL ADVISORY TO MSMES

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];))

Adds details and background from paragraph 2 onwards

March 19 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea VODA.NS is in exploratory talks with various satellite communication providers, including Starlink, the company said on Wednesday, a week after the Indian telecom firm's rivals signed deals with Elon Musk's company.

The mobile operator made the disclosure after Indian stock exchanges sought a clarification on its stock move and a report by local financial news website Moneycontrol earlier in the day.

Shares of Vodafone Idea rose nearly 5% on Wednesday.

"Our strategy is to provide services -- whether fixed or mobile -- in uncovered areas, where satellite makes perfect sense," Vodafone Idea Chief Technology Officer Jagbir Singh told Moneycontrol, as per the report.

"The other (strategy) is to provide fixed wireless broadband in rural areas and smaller towns, where it is expensive to roll out such services."

Last week, Musk's SpaceX signed deals with Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS and Reliance Jio to bring Starlink's internet services to India.

As part of the deals, the Indian operators will stock Starlink's equipment in their retail stores, giving the US-based satellite communication firm a direct distribution point in thousands of such outlets across the country.

The deals will be conditional on Starlink obtaining government approval to begin operations in the country.

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Leroy Leo)

(([email protected]; +918447554364;))

March 7 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• VODAFONE IDEA LTD - ORDER PASSED FOR PENALTY OF 107.9 MILLION RUPEES

• VODAFONE IDEA LTD - TO FILE APPEALS AGAINST PENALTY ORDER

Source text: ID:nBSEb7xZHy

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];))

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• GETS TAX DEPARTMENT ORDER CONFIRMING PENALTY OF 9.7 MILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nBSE3dz5Pq

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];;))

** Shares of Vodafone Idea drop 5.3% to 8.18 rupees

** India's top court rejected a review plea from telecom firms, including VODA and Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS, to recalculate the dues they owed to the government, Mint reports

** BRTI stock unchanged

** Telecom infra provider Indus Towers INUS.NS also falls 4%; analysts have said court decision makes it less likely for INUS to recover dues from VODA

** Supreme Court had rejected an initial plea by the telcos to recalculate the dues in September

** Debt-saddled VODA down 21% since Supreme Court's earlier order, while INUS declines 14%; BRTI up 3%

(Reporting by Kashish Tandon in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]))

Feb 11 (Reuters) - India's Vodafone Idea VODA.NS reported a smaller-than-expected third-quarter loss on Tuesday, as the telecom operator's per-user revenue continued to be boosted from July's tariff hikes.

Vodafone Idea — 22.6% owned by the Indian government — was formed by a merger between the Indian arm of the UK's Vodafone Group VOD.L and Aditya Birla Group's Idea Cellular in 2018. It has posted a loss in every quarter as it continues to lose market share.

The company's consolidated loss after tax narrowed to 66.09 billion rupees ($762.20 million) in the quarter ended December 31, from 69.86 billion rupees a year earlier.

The loss was smaller than analysts' average estimate of 69.78 billion rupees, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Vodafone Idea's average revenue per user (ARPU), a key performance metric for telecom firms, rose 4.2% from the previous quarter and 19.3% from a year earlier to 173 rupees, boosted by an increase in mobile plan rates.

However, the key metric lagged peer Reliance Industries RELI.NS-owned Jio's 203.30 rupees and Bharti Airtel's BRTI.NS 245 rupees.

All three mobile carriers' ARPUs have grown between 12% and 18.5% as of December-end after a tariff hike in July marked an industry-wide shift in strategy from competing for market share to increasing profitability.

Airtel and Jio have reported upbeat quarterly profits.

Vodafone India's user base declined 2.5% sequentially and 7.2% year-on-year to 199.8 million as of December 31, lagging behind Jio's 482.1 million and Airtel's 414 million.

Its revenue from operations rose about 4.2% to 111.17 billion rupees, missing analysts' estimates of 112.54 billion rupees, while its total expenses shrunk 2.5% led by a dip in network expenses.

Vodafone Idea's shares closed 3.2% lower ahead of results.

($1 = 86.7090 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Aleef Jahan in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]))

Feb 4 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• VODAFONE IDEA LTD - GETS TAX ORDER CONFIRMING PENALTY OF 24.9 MILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nBSE3b8M8v

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];))

Jan 31 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• GETS TAX ORDER CONFIRMING PENALTY OF 7.9 MILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nBSE6tZbQj

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];;))

Jan 30 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• GETS TAX ORDER CONFIRMING PENALTY OF 55.2 MILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nBSE8vV53H

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];;))

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• GETS GST ORDER WITH PENALTY OF 7.1 MILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nBSE1SwT05

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];;))

By Divya Chowdhury

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson expects the United States to continue to be at the forefront of technology development under President Donald Trump, which the company is ready to take advantage of, its chief technology officer said.

The industry is now in full-execution phase of OpenRAN, CTO Erik Ekudden told the Reuters Global Markets Forum, adding: "Of course we intend to continue to lead and drive that industry development."

OpenRAN allows operators to mix and match suppliers in their radio networks. Ericsson ERICb.ST, Huawei and Nokia NOKIA.HE, dominate the global telecoms equipment market with their proprietary technologies.

The focus is now on building artificial intelligence (AI)data centers and also leveraging that AI to optimize the performance of 5G networks, Ekudden said.

That is why every country needs to have innovation strategy to build on 5G and AI, he added.

"I expect U.S. to continue to push ahead in that, and if anything, the opportunities just seem fantastic right now to put in an extra gear and then make sure that we are part of that," Ekudden said.

He also said Ericsson's local-for-local manufacturing model gives it an advantage, helping it rely less on global trade and supply chains, as threats of a trade war loom under the new U.S. administration.

However, Ekudden said it was still early days to speculate on tariffs.

(Join GMF, a chat room hosted on LSEG Messenger, for live interviews: https://lseg.group/4ajdDTy)

(Reporting by Divya Chowdhury in Davos and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

(([email protected]; https://x.com/divyachowdhury; LSEG Messenger: [email protected]))

Jan 21 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea Ltd VODA.NS:

• INDIA APEX COURT DISMISSES TAX DEPARTMENT'S PETITION AGAINST TAX REFUND ORDER

Source text: ID:nBSER31mJ

Further company coverage: VODA.NS

(([email protected];;))