Infographic: Vodafone-Idea merger and the making of a global telecom titan

After merger, the Vodafone-Idea combine is India's largest, world's third-largest telco by user base

Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla (left) with Vodafone Group CEO Vittorio Colao. Photo: Kamlesh Pednekar

The decision of Vittorio Colao-led British telecom major Vodafone, and Idea Cellular, part of Kumar Mangalam Birla-led Aditya Birla Group, to merge their India operations in a $23.2-billion all-share deal has made the combined entity the largest telecom entity in the country by subcriber base. Globally, this entity will be the third-largest by user base. The move is seen by many as a counter