



Vodafone Idea draws up ₹1 trillion cash strategy amid dues, capex push
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.Telecom operator Vodafone Idea Ltd on Monday laid out an ambitious financial roadmap to generate and secure over ₹1.08 trillion in cash over the next three years, betting on a sharp rise in operating earnings, possible bank debt funding, income tax-related recoveries and promoter support to fund its turnaround.The telecom operator has to pay ₹49,000 crore towards spectrum dues over the next three years, execute a capital expenditure plan of ₹45,000 crore for network expansion and upgrades, and meet interest payments of about ₹5,000-6,000 crore to service bank debt, taking its cumulative outgo to nearly ₹1 trillion.“...we are very confident that with the bank loan for the capex and for the Ebitda addition, we will be able to fulfil all our obligations across the next three years,” Vodafone Idea’s chief financial officer, Tejas Mehta, told analysts during the Q4 earnings call. Ebitda is short for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.As of the end of March, the telecom operator had a cash and bank balance of ₹3,715 crore.
Mehta said the company’s funding sources would include tripling Ebitda to ₹60,000 crore during FY27-FY29, raising ₹35,000 crore through bank debt and a rolling line of credit facility, and securing ₹10,000 crore from the recent settlement with Vodafone Plc and expected income tax refunds.The details on the cash sources, along with the recent commitment by promoter Aditya Birla Group to invest ₹4,750 crore, come at a time when analysts have raised concerns about the company’s future payment obligations to clear spectrum dues. This is when the company also needs significant investments in network expansion to improve its subscriber base.In a note
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