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Vodafone Idea’s shares surged nearly 9% on October 7, climbing to an eight-month high and extending their rally to over 50% in just nine weeks
Vodafone Idea Shares
Vodafone Idea Share Price: Vodafone Idea’s shares surged nearly 9% on October 7, climbing to an eight-month high and extending their rally to over 50% in just nine weeks. The gains were driven by investor optimism over a potential resolution of the company’s long-standing adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues.
The rally also comes ahead of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s India visit on October 8-9, where he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai, fuelling speculation about progress in talks related to the debt-laden telecom operator, once the Indian arm of Vodafone Group Plc.
Government Mulls One-Time Settlement
A Bloomberg News report on October 6 said the Indian government is considering a one-time settlement for billions of dollars in overdue fees from Vodafone Idea. The company’s financial troubles stem largely from legacy AGR liabilities inherited from the merger of Vodafone Plc and Kumar Mangalam Birla’s Idea Cellular in 2018.
AGR Plea in Supreme Court
On the same day, the Supreme Court deferred the hearing of Vodafone Idea’s AGR plea to October 13 after the government requested more time. The case relates to the court’s March 2020 ruling, which upheld DoT’s AGR dues calculation up to FY17 and barred any reassessment by operators.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has also raised an additional demand of ₹2,774 crore for FY18-19. Of the ₹9,450 crore total demand, about ₹5,675 crore pertains to pre-merger Vodafone Group liabilities, while ₹2,774 crore relates to the post-merger entity. Vodafone Idea has contested these calculations, alleging duplication of certain amounts.
Subscriber Base and Industry Outlook
According to the latest data, Vodafone Idea’s subscriber base stood at 127.48 million as of August 31, compared with Reliance Jio’s 501.31 million and Bharti Airtel’s 309.22 million.
Brokerage Centrum expects all three major telcos — Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea — to report a 1–2% quarter-on-quarter rise in ARPU, Reuters reported.
The BSE Telecom index rose nearly 2% to 2,912.24, reflecting upbeat sentiment across the sector.
Aparna Deb is a Subeditor and writes for the business vertical of News18.com. She has a nose for news that matters. She is inquisitive and curious about things. Among other things, financial markets, economy, a…Read More
Aparna Deb is a Subeditor and writes for the business vertical of News18.com. She has a nose for news that matters. She is inquisitive and curious about things. Among other things, financial markets, economy, a… Read More
October 07, 2025, 15:20 IST
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