Idea-Vodafone deal clearance after DoT completes statutory process: Manoj Sinha

The government will clear the long pending Idea-Vodafone merger immediately after the Department of Telecom (DoT) completes all statutory formalities, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha said today. "DoT has set rules for merger and acquisition. Idea Vodafone merger will be cleared without a single second delay once DoT completes all statutory formalities," Sinha told reporters on the sidelines of the inauguration of Ericsson's 5G test lab at IIT Delhi.

Both Idea and Vodafone were expecting the merger deal -- which will create the India's largest telecom company -- to be completed by June 30, 2018.

The deal was expected to be cleared in mid-June but the telecom department is considering to raise a fresh demand of around Rs 4,700 crore from Vodafone before granting clearance, according to sources.

In 2015, Vodafone had merged its four subsidiaries Vodafone East, Vodafone South, Vodafone Cellular and Vodafone Digilink with Vodafone Mobile Services, which is now called Vodafone India.