Idea Cellular, Vodafone complete merger to create country's largest telecom operator
Vodafone-Idea Cellular
The merged entity would be a formidable rival to billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio Infocomm.
Idea Cellular Ltd and Vodafone Plc completed the merger of their operations on Friday, creating the country's largest telecom operator by subscribers and revenue after the entry of a new player sparked a bitter price war.
The merged entity would be a formidable rival to billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio Infocomm, which has caused a widespread disruption in the domestic telecom industry.
Stiff competition triggered consolidation in world's No. 2 mobile phone market, with Vodafone and Idea agreeing to merge their operations in India in a $23 billion deal last February.
The combined entity will have a revenue share of 32.2 per cent in the market and a total customer base of around 400 million, racing ahead of Bharti Airtel, Idea said on Friday.
The entity's board will have 12 directors, with Kumar Mangalam Birla as chairman and Balesh Sharma as chief executive officer.
Himanshu Kapania has stepped down as managing director of Idea Cellular, but will continue as a non-executive director on the merged entity's board.
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