Airtel bested storms over the years to become a strong institution

Bharti Airtel has overcome several crises in 2003 (heightened competition) and 2020 (Supreme Court’s verdict on government dues0) as well as 2016 (launch of Reliance Jio) to emerge as an institution that is a national asset, chairman Sunil Mittal said in an interview. India’s digital story rides on the back of telcos, who must be supported, he said. The telecom reforms package of 2021 would bring about a regulatory regime that was fair and forward-looking, Mittal said.

Why it’s important: The Airtel chairman’s remarks come at a time there could be another round of intense competition over 5G services. India’s second-largest telco looks well-placed to tackle it, although the same cannot be said of weaker rival Vodafone Idea. Moneycontrol