As Jio splurges to attract users, Airtel takes nimble-footed strides

Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are betting on different strategies to boost revenue in what could be a zero-sum game

In the mature telecom market of the US, two major players are following divergent strategies. While AT&T wants to be a convergence player and bets big on media and entertainment with the acquisition of Time Warner, Verizon is upgrading its wireless network to 5G in order to open newer avenues of business-to-business revenues.

That game is being replicated in India, where Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, the two leading telcos by market share, are charting different strategies to swell revenues and stay ahead in the race. And Vodafone-Idea, the third ranker, is betting on cost synergies from the merger. 

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