- Idea Vodafone debt rating downgraded. Uh-oh.
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.. - “When Arun Sarin, Vodafone Group Plc’s India-born former CEO, was charting the British telecommunications firm’s expansion into emerging markets in the mid-2000s, his home country with more than a billion potential phone users seemed a compelling choice.Sarin wasn’t alone. Norway’s Telenor ASA, Russia’s Mobile TeleSystems PJSC and Malaysia’s Maxis Bhd were also among a slew of companies that flocked to this fast-growing market. The carriers banded with local partners, bid for airwaves and licenses, spending billions of dollars to prepare their networks.
But what once appeared to be their most-promising Asian wireless market has turned sour. Vodafone’s Indian venture with billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, saddled with $14 billion of debt, is said to be seeking to revamp its borrowings amid mounting losses and a tariff war. Tycoon Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel Ltd. is rated junk by Moody’s Investors Service. In a market that had a dozen carriers two years ago, just three are left standing today — two of them, barely.”
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Here’s more context from Bloomberg.
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.. - “Notoriously high levels of pendency of cases discourage those with limited influence and resources from approaching the courts for justice. Police stations, especially those in rural areas, make registration of complaints and first information reports cumbersome to help them manage their strike rates. Some websites expect visitors to read privacy policies and indicate consent by checking specific boxes before letting them browse pages. The notice is sometimes in an unfamiliar language. Immigration applications involve onerous paperwork that is lengthy and confusing.”
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Puja Mehra, author of the excellent “The Lost Decade” explains what sludge is, and why it matters in India
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.. - All incentives matter, but some incentives matter more than others. That’s the basic takeaway, but please, I beg you – take the time to read this article in full. Slate Star Codex is just utterly magnificent.
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.. - A fascinating article on the origins of the Amazon battery.
EconForEverybody 