RCom faces coupon test amid standstill, to shut voice calls from Dec 1

$300 mn of bonds on which the firm must pay semi-annual coupon on Monday mature in 2020

Loss-making telecom operator Reliance Communications (RCom) will shut down its voice call service from December 1 and its customers can move to other networks by the end of the year, as per directions issued by the telecom regulator on Friday. RCom, controlled by Anil Ambani, also faces a bond coupon deadline on Monday after temporarily halting payments to lenders.

The interest payment of about $9.75 million is the latest test for the debt-laden company, which has faced a series of setbacks amid a shakeout in the world’s second-largest telecom market. Last month, it announced the collapse of merger plans with rival