Vodafone?s data subscribers declined 5% YoY, data traffic increased 13% YoY as pricing decline boosted per-subscriber data usage. Vodafone said operating conditions in India remain challenging and that weak 3Q trends could persist in 4QFY17 especially as Reliance Jio?s free trial continues. Vodafone reiterated its segmented approach to competition. For the top decile of subscribers by revenue contribution, it would focus on subscriber retention while compromising on ARPU. For low-value customers, the strategy is to capture 100% of customer spends through free on-net calling (Rs149 plan), thereby squeezing out weaker players. Vodafone mentioned that it will not exit India and that a merger would renew its focus on the market.
