Idea Cellular — now merged with Vodafone India to form Vi (Vodafone Idea Limited) — was one of India’s largest mobile network operators, founded by the Aditya Birla Group and listed on BSE and NSE. The 2018 merger created Vi: India’s third-largest telecom operator, competing against Reliance Jio and Airtel.
| Merged Entity | Vi (Vodafone Idea Limited) |
| Idea Founder | Aditya Birla Group (Kumar Mangalam Birla) |
| Merger Date | August 2018 |
| Vi Owners | Vodafone Group UK ~45% | Aditya Birla ~18% | Govt ~23% |
| Vi CEO | Akshaya Moondra |
| Listed | BSE: 540065 | NSE: IDEA |
Who Owned Idea Cellular?
Idea Cellular was majority-controlled by the Aditya Birla Group — the $60B conglomerate of Kumar Mangalam Birla headquartered in Mumbai. In 2018, Idea merged with Vodafone India to form Vi (Vodafone Idea Limited). Post-merger: Vodafone Group (UK) ~45%, Aditya Birla Group ~18%, Government of India ~23% (via AGR conversion). Listed under NSE ticker “IDEA”. See also: Vodafone India, Airtel India.
Who is the CEO of Vi?
Akshaya Moondra is MD & CEO of Vodafone Idea (Vi), appointed in 2023. He leads Vi’s capital raise efforts and 5G spectrum acquisition against Jio and Airtel. Vi faces massive AGR dues (₹58,000+ crore) owed to the government.
History of Idea Cellular
Idea Cellular launched in 1995 as a joint venture between Birla Group, Tata Group, and AT&T. Tata and AT&T exited over time, leaving the Birla family as dominant promoter. Idea expanded to pan-India operations by 2012. When Reliance Jio launched in 2016, Idea’s revenues collapsed. The Vodafone-Idea merger in 2018 was a defensive consolidation. The government converted its AGR interest into ~23% equity stake in 2022.
Key Milestones
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Idea Cellular founded — Birla/Tata/AT&T JV |
| 2012 | Pan-India operations complete |
| 2016 | Jio launches; Idea revenues collapse |
| Aug 2018 | Merges with Vodafone India → Vi |
| 2022 | Government converts AGR to equity → ~23% stake |
More ownership profiles
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To the CEO…
ADITYA BIRLA group…
I am very much dissapointed with your service… I am a citizen of india from TRIPURA… i am a retailer of your idea sim service… We are very much upset with your services… The customers are seffering from your services… In their phone there is incomming calls, but no outgoing calls….we are suffering lot of problms from 1 month…customers are porting their phones from idea to other networks… Immidiate action must be taken on this serious matter…
RANJIT SINHA
CONTACT NO – 9402356148
WATS UP NO- 9089155215
466115
Sir my number 8572973764 is open sir.plezz