Low on opex, high on benefits: Vodafone Idea readies to fight rivals

Will not try to own the value chain of services like rivals but know that consumers have the capacity to spend, says CEO

Gearing up to fight rivals, the country’s largest telecom player, Vodafone Idea, on Thursday said it plans to retain the best of both Vodafone and Idea infrastructure across markets. The company will enhance consumer benefits while reducing operational expenses (opex), said a senior official in Mumbai. 

Talking to the media for the first time since he took charge as the chief executive officer of Vodafone Idea, Balesh Sharma said the combined entity would embark on tower network rationalisation across geographies and that the current ‘unsustainable’ market conditions would not last as consumers have the capacity to spend. Tariffs would stabilise, he