Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio will carry on with obtaining market share at the cost of Vodafone Idea’s “worsened” financial health that might get worse in the wake of the AGR judgment, Axis Capital shared in a statement on April 3. Axis Capital stated it has shortened its prediction of income for wireless telcos. This is because muted customer add on as well as hit in 2G/3G tranfers to 4G SIMs at the time of lockdown and a likely extension of various curbs, could partly affect revenue broadening that was estimated in future months from the tariff hike in December 2019.
“We cut FY21/22E (estimates) revenue of wireless providers by 1-6 per cent and EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation) margin by 20-100 bps (basis points,” Axis Capital mentioned in the telecom sector report.
It informed that while the tariff hikes undertaken by organisations in December 2019 is likely to play out in nine months of calender year 2020 as subscribers come for recharge, the floor pricing may be delayed because of the current lockdown situation.
As per the Supreme Court judgment, incumbent telcos have to make the whole payment of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues incorporating interest, penalty and interest on penalty, it said noting that Bharti Airtel appeared better positioned to make the payment, given the recent fund raise.
Launch of floor pricing and cut in levies to make sure that market continues to have four players, can further profit the industry including Airtel, Reliance Jio, it said. “However, floor pricing may be delayed due to the lockdown. Also, due to economic stress from the lockdown, demand for relief by other industries may increase, which could impact Vodafone Idea’s prospects of getting relief from the government,” it said.
Axis Capital said Airtel and RJio shall continue to get market share at the cost of Vodafone Idea due to latter’s worsened financial health which may deteriorate further after the AGR judgment. It noted that telcos had launched new packs for users for work from home, had engaged in ensuring service continuity and had come.out with relief offers to low income users.
In its note on Friday, Axis Capital stated that telcos’ subscriber addition will be hit, as the lockdown in wake of COVID-19 will crisply take down subscriber acquisition, given that customers usually stayed at home and shops were closed. “COAI expects subscriber addition of less than 1 million in March 2020 versus average of 3 million per month. Subscriber addition to be hit for most of Q1FY21 due to 21-day lockdown and possibility of restrictions/ partial restrictions getting extended,” Axis Capital said.
Also, conversion from 2G/3G to 4G may also be hit as it requires new SIM, “which is difficult in a lockdown”, it said.
“These may partially impact revenue growth that was expected in 9MCY20 (nine months of calender year 2020) from the tariff hike taken in December 2019. Accordingly, we have trimmed our revenue estimates for wireless telcos,” Axis Capital said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on March 24, had announced a complete lockdown of the entire country for 21 days in an unprecedented move to try halt the spread of coronavirus, shortly after which the Centre said road, rail and air services will remain suspended during this period. As on early Friday, the pandemic had claimed 56 lives in the country and number of COVID-19 cases had increased to 2,301.
