Airtel is Concentrating into Betterment of Networks & Enterprise Business

As Jio is getting invested from overseas, to be debt-free and being financially prepared for 5G, Bharti Airtel is not standing idle, they are investing on networks as well as future networks. For Airtel 4G expansion and being 5G ready is crucial, as Airtel is all set to phase out 3G. As their 4G network is not omnipresence, they can't shut down 2G services anytime soon.

So Airtel has to increase 4G footprint, significantly in rural areas. Also in urban areas their capacity to handle wireless data is to be increased multifold in the time of Covid-19 due to lockdown as people are working from home.

Vodafone Idea in Big Financial Mess

Vodafone Idea Ltd, the one of three private carriers of the country is in big trouble, mostly financially. VIL and Airtel is hit by 16 year old dispute with DoT, the AGR calculation, as verdicted by highest court of the country by end of October, 2019. As per Supreme Court, operators have to pay Rs 92,641 crore dues (breakdown = Rs 23,189 crore as the disputed amount, Rs 41,650 crore of the levy of interest, Rs 10,923 crore as penalty and Rs 16,878 crore as interest on penalty. Just about three years ago, the total dues were just Rs 29,474 crore). 

Out of this 46% would be from non-existing operators like Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices, Aircel and others.