We are no pushovers, says Idea

Hyderabad: In the latest round of tariff wars in the telecom sector, a bullish sounding Idea Cellular said that they are no pushovers and Reliance Jio’s extension of their free services won’t have much impact on their revenues.

“We knew Mr Ambani, whose reputation as a disruptor precedes him, had plans to enter the telecom sector for some time. The sector has grown much since he last tried to enter the market, we are no pushovers and there will be negligible effect on our revenues,” chief corporate affairs officer Rajat Mukharji said.

However, Mr Mukharji said, “Due to both (demonetisation and entry of Jio) events occurring in the third quarter, Q3 revenues may buck the trend of the previous quarters.”

Meanwhile, Idea said it plans to extend its 4G services to 20 circles across India by FY2017 after the board approved an additional Rs 1,000 cr capital expenditure to build its infrastructure.