In a shocking development, Airtel may be pushed to Number 3 position if Idea merges with Vodafone

Reliance Jio’s race to be the numero uno in the $26 billion Indian telecom market could be a shattered dream if a merger between India’s no.2 Vodafone and Aditya Birla group’s Idea happens. The combined subscriber count of the merged entity would be nearly 39 crore, substantially higher than Airtel's 27 crore and Jio's present number of 7.2 crore, according to The Economic Times. It would have a revenue market share of nearly 40 per cent compared with Airtel's near-32 per cent. It would have the strongest retail footprint in the industry, as well as robust spectrum holdings. ALSO READ: WHAT ABOUT THE COMMON MAN IN THIS BUDGET?

However Airtel’s number one position in the market for last few decades seems to be at stake. The market leader is struggling survival push from Reliance Jio as the latter has sailed a long way with multiple freebies. The major disruption that Mukesh Ambani’s venture brought to the country has eaten up on the shares of Airtel. Adding insult to injury is the merger. As Idea has postponed the merger meet last week, it’s for experts to see, how Airtel plays out the aggression.