Mittal called upon the industry to hitch forces to require the telecom sector to newer heights. He exhorted the industry to collaborate in areas like infrastructure sharing to scale back costs. He, however, vehemently ruled out the likelihood of any cartelisation among players. On whether a “collaboration” within the market borders on cartelisation, Mittal emphasised that the telecom market has been and can be competitive.

Amid reports of its potential tie-ups with Indian smartphone makers to counter Reliance Jio’s upcoming ultra low-cost smartphone, JioPhoneNext, Mittal said that Airtel is during a state of “readiness” on a reasonable smartphone “should a requirement arise”.

He said that conversations will with Vodafone CEO and Reliance Jio chairman are going to be about the health of the industry, about market distribution structure, not on tariffs. “How can it’s . once you need to have more market share against one another , how are you able to have tariff discussion. Impossible,” Mittal said.

Mittal said that he had spoken to Vodafone CEO and can also reach bent Reliance Industries’ chairman Mukesh Ambani. “I have reached bent Nick Read yesterday, i will be able to reach bent Mukesh Ambani and speak to him and make sure that industry truly becomes model for several other infrastructure industries within the country,” Mittal said.

Mittal said he had told Nick Read of Vodafone that the Vodafone Idea features a “lifetime opportunity” to retake what has been a “lost cause”, which it had been time for Vodafone Group and Kumar Mangalam Birla (Aditya Birla Group Chairman) to intensify their own contribution into their company.

Mittal said that his conversations with Ambani are going to be around telecom and India. “Let’s see what comes out of that conversation,” he said.

Mittal said that as a philosophy the corporate likes people to shop for their own phones…we supply the fuel, you purchase your car, choose your colour or features…and rather not start supplying you phone but readiness is there.”

Talking further about bundling phones with Airtel’s mobile plans, Mittal said, “…it might be if competitors are therein space and gaining some ground, we’ll need to respond in smarter ways which is a component of our arsenal. With spectrum deferment and AGR deferment (it) gives us enough money, if we’d like to try to to any counter action thereto , we might be during a ready position to try to to so,” Mittal said.