Axiata to analyse impact of Vodafone-Idea merger

Voda-Idea: Vodafone Group CEO Vittorio Colao (right) shakes hand with chairman of India’s Aditya Birla Group Kumar Mangalam Birla during a news conference in Mumbai yesterday. British mobile phone giant Vodafone’s Indian unit will merge with Idea Cellular to create India’s largest telecoms operator, the firms said, as they combine to fight the rise of Reliance Jio. – AFP

PETALING JAYA: Axiata Group Bhd, the regional telecommunications firm that is controlled by Khazanah Nasional Bhd, has been the subject of quite a bit of newsflow in the past few days.

News has emerged that Mumbai-based Idea Cellular Ltd, in which Axiata has a 20% stake, would merge with London-based Vodafone Group plc’s Indian business to create India’s biggest cellular company while on the home front, a merger between Axiata and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) could be brewing.