 "Vodafone store")
Vodafone Group Plc's Indian arm is in exploratory talks around a possible merger with its smaller domestic rival Idea Cellular , according to a CNBC TV18 report on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.
A spokesman for Vodafone India, India's No 2 mobile carrier by market share, declined to comment on the report. A spokeswoman for Idea also declined to comment on the matter.
Shares of Idea, the country's No 3 operator, rose 5.7 per cent in afternoon trading following the news.
