Vodafone India posted revenues of £ 674 million in the third quarter, up by 37.3 percent from the corresponding quarter last year. The company does not disclose profit. Revenue growth in India has slowed marginally from last quarter. Despite strong competition and the recession, the operator now has 60.9 million customers in India. It added 2.1 million subscribers during the quarter assisted by its expansion into six new circles. It has added around 10,000 base stations during the quarter in the country. Vodafone India’s share in the mobile phone operator market rose to 18 percent. It will continue to drive increased volumes by introducing promotional offers, the company has noted in its official earnings release. Vodafone has seen a reduction in churn with subscribers moving towards Lifetime Validity prepaid offerings. Its ARPU has also dropped to Rs 297 from Rs 305 in Q2 while voice usage increased from 56,745 minutes last quarter to 61,606 minutes in Q3. Prepaid subscribers form 92.1 percent of the operators subscriber base. The company claims its visitor revenue (when subscribers of other operators roam into its network) suffered a negative impact due to the Mumbai attack and poor economic conditions that have reduced travel in the country. Vodafone’s infrastructure joint venture with Bharti and Idea - Indus Towers - has steadily increased its operations. The independent tower company provides passive network infrastructure to all operators. Vodafone’s alleged tax evasion case is still in the courts and the next hearing is scheduled for March 3. The…
