Unless the government intervenes, Indian telecom will hurtle towards a duopoly

Once a vibrant market with over a dozen firms, India’s telecom industry may be quickly moving towards a duopoly of sorts. Unprecedented losses in the September quarter have cast a shadow on the operations of Vodafone Idea, India’s third-biggest telecom firm in which the UK-based Vodafone Group owns a 44% stake. The next few weeks could be critical for the company, as prime minister Narendra Modi’s government decides on relief measures for the sector stung by a recent supreme court ruling.