Consumer Connect

Bharti Airtel has retained market share despite rising competition.

- Anup Jayaram

INDIA’S leading mobile services provider, Bharti Airtel, has been through tumultuous times over the past 18 months. As the Indian telecom market consolidated at a feverish pace after the launch of free voice calls and rock-bottom 4G data services by Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio in September 2016, incumbents were hit badly. The result – Vodafone and Idea Cellular are merging operations, smaller operators such as Telenor and Tata Teleservices have been acquired by Airtel, and Aircel has filed for bankruptcy. In the face of rising competition among the much fewer players, Bharti Airtel has managed to keep its head above water. In spite of a loss in the last quarter of 2017/18, it first-ever in 15 y