INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Shares of Vodafone Idea fell nearly 21 per cent on TuesdayNew Delhi: Shares of Vodafone Idea Ltd
dropped after its board approved a rescue strategy that offers almost 36 percent stake to the government in lieu of overdue and makes it the
biggest investor in the unprofitable wireless phone operator
The restructuring in which some of the government fees will be transformed to equity will result in dilution for all existing investors of
the business consisting of the founders, India's no
3 cordless provider stated in an exchange filing Tuesday
Vodafone Group Plc will own around 28.5 percent and Aditya Birla Group will have about 17.8 percent in the company after the conversion, it
said.An Indian government agent did not use any instant comments on the proposed strategy
Vodafone Concept's shares plunged nearly 21 percent in Mumbai on Tuesday - most given that March 2020 - while the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex
advanced 0.4 per cent.The equity conversion strategy gives the Narendra Modi-led government more skin in the game in rescuing Vodafone
Concept as well as removes the requirement for any instant cash outgo from the beleaguered cordless operator
The provider, which owes 160 billion rupees ($2.2 billion) to the state exchequer for spectrum and other fees, hasn't reported a yearly
revenue given that Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd
triggered a brutal rate war in 2016
While the move avoids personal bankruptcy for the joint venture between the Vodafone Group and billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla's
corporation, it'll be a stopgap measure for the business that's been losing clients in droves
Financiers will likewise be concerned about what the unexpected change into state control implies
Fend off Insolvency While this would stave off the instant danger of insolvency, it does not augur well for any equity investor in a
personal company in the business, stated Utkarsh Sinha, managing director at consultancy Bexley Advisors in Mumbai
Obvious issues about its efficiency as a semi-state run unit aside, this sends out a really unfavorable signal to the business community
Its customer base had trimmed to 253 million in the quarter ended Sept
30 as it posted another quarterly loss
Birla had used to hand over his stake in Vodafone Idea to the government in a June letter last year in a bid to keep the carrier afloat,
according to a local news report.Amid market strife, India in September last year offered operators more time to pay federal government dues
and the choice to convert the back fees into equity if required-- a choice that Vodafone Concept has now exercised after struggling to raise
funds.The provider announced strategies in 2020 to raise as much as 250 billion rupees to assist the company win airwaves in a prepared
spectrum auction in addition to improve its telecom facilities
It was enthusiastic of having the ability to raise funds after the relief package from the government but hasn't had much success up until
now.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent personnel and is published from a syndicated feed.)
