Bharti to slip into the red, Idea's losses to double in June quarter

Analysts estimate Idea's ARPU to fall below Rs 100; down-trading and migration by low-value customers to impact all telcos

Despite the subscriber gains from exits of smaller operators and consolidation in the sector, listed telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular are expected to report losses to the tune of over Rs 20 billion for the June quarter. While Bharti Airtel will gain on the revenues front due to the consolidation of Telenor, it is expected to report a loss of over Rs 5 billion for the June quarter. That would be the first operational loss for the company in many quarters; the company had made a consolidated profit of Rs 3.67 billion in the year-ago quarter.

For Idea