Vi mobile broadband use soars, liquidity still at risk
Live MintVodafone Idea Ltd added 4.6 million mobile broadband subscribers in August, the highest among all telcos, as it continues to convert a large number of its 2G customers to higher-paying 4G users. According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India data, rival Bharti Airtel Ltd added 3.2 million mobile broadband users, while Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd signed up 1.9 million during the month. However, the addition of mobile broadband users may not be enough to solve Vodafone Idea’s massive liquidity requirements. To be sure, Vodafone Idea lost mobile customers for the tenth straight month in August, but analysts say that retaining and adding high-paying 4G users will eventually help improve its average revenue per user and reduce cost of maintaining the 2G network.