Vodafone Idea shares jumped nearly 13%, the biggest jump in a day since April 1. It reached an intraday high of ₹ 7.45 per share. There are reports that the central government is looking for an investor who is willing to invest about ₹ 8,800 crore in this debt-ridden telecom company.
The Economic Times quoted sources related to the matter as saying that the central government will invest about $ 1 billion (₹ 8,800 crore) to help the telecom company by buying 12-13% stake in Vodafone Idea.
The report further said that promoter Aditya Birla Group (ABG) and UK’s Vodafone will have the option to sell their stake, as the government wants to stay invested for some more time.
Currently, the government holds a 48.99% stake in the debt-ridden company, which has converted some of its past dues into equity, while ABG and Vodafone hold 9.50% and 16.07% stakes, respectively.
However, Minister of State for Communications Chandra S. Pemmasani last month ruled out any further relief to the debt-ridden telco.
Vodafone Idea owes around ₹83,400 crore in adjusted gross revenue (AGR), and the annual payment is currently ₹18,000 crore, scheduled from March 2026. Including interest and penalty, Vi’s dues are over ₹2 lakh crore.
According to experts, Vi’s collapse could lead to a two-player telecom market in India, dominated by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.
At 2:35 pm, its stock was trading at ₹7.32 per share on the National Stock Exchange, indicating a gain of 10.74%. In a period of one month, Vi shares have gained 5%, while in a period of six months, they have declined by 7.51%.
Vodafone Idea Q1 Earnings
Debt-ridden Vodafone Idea has reported a widening of its consolidated loss to ₹6,608 crore in the first quarter ended June 30, 2025 (Q1 FY26), primarily due to a rise in finance costs and government charges.
According to a company filing, VIL’s finance costs rose by about 7% or ₹374 crore on a year-on-year (YoY) basis to ₹5,892.8 crore from ₹5,518.6 crore recorded in the same period a year ago, included in the loss of ₹6,426.7 crore recorded in the June 2024 quarter.
Licence fees and spectrum usage charges payable to the government rose by about 6% to about ₹947 crore during the quarter under review from about ₹892 crore a year ago.
Vodafone Idea (VIL)’s operating revenue grew by about 5% to ₹11,022.5 crore during the quarter under review from ₹10,508.3 crore in the same period a year ago. This was primarily led by a 15% increase in average revenue per user (ARPU), which rose from ₹154 in the June 2024 quarter to ₹177 in the quarter under review.
