# Google explores 5% stake in Vodafone Idea | Tech News (HT Tech)
> The SC gave partial relief to Vodafone Idea by allowing for a tax refund of ₹733 crore to the telecom operator.
# Google explores 5% stake in Vodafone Idea
## The SC gave partial relief to Vodafone Idea by allowing for a tax refund of ₹733 crore to the telecom operator.
Aug 20 2022, 21:11 IST
Google's parent company Alphabet was also in the race to acquire a slice of Jio Platforms but lagged behind. (REUTERS)
### By IANS
In what could alter the Indian telecom scenario, Google is reportedly exploring to buy a 5% stake in financially-stressed Vodafone Idea, a move that would not only pit Sundar Pichai-led tech giant against Facebook which has poured in ₹43,574 crore for 9.99% stake in Reliance-led Jio Platforms but also help struggling Vodafone stand up in the world's fastest growing mobile market.
According to a report in the Financial Times on Thursday, people familiar with the matter said Google is exploring an investment in Vodafone's struggling India business.
"One of the people said Google was considering buying a stake of about 5% in Vodafone Idea, a partnership between the UK telecom company and India's Aditya Birla Group that has been under severe financial strain. Another said the process was at a very early stage," the report claimed.
Also read
click here.
Both Google and Vodafone did not comment on the report.
According to the report, Google's parent company Alphabet was also in the race to acquire a slice of Jio Platforms but lagged behind.
"Pursuing Vodafone Idea instead would potentially pit Google against Facebook and an increasingly dominant Jio but the company could also make multiple investments in India," the FT report mentioned.
According to Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, Google is interested in buying a 5% stake in Vodafone Idea to give impetus to its India push.
"India is the fastest growing mobile-first nation, with significant digital transformation at its core. Also, the move may be to take on the Facebook-backed Jio behemoth," Ram said in a statement.
Late last month, the Supreme Court gave partial relief to Vodafone Idea by allowing for a tax refund of ₹733 crore to the telecom operator. Vodafone Idea had sought a refund of ₹4,700 crore.
The company has over ₹53,000 crore in Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR)-related dues, according to an estimate by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
In a big relief for telecom operators, the DoT in March moved the Supreme Court seeking its approval for a 20-year window for payment of around ₹1.47 lakh crore AGR dues, as adverse functioning of the telecom firms could have a negative impact on the economy and consumers across the country.
In a regulatory filing, Vodafone Idea earlier paid a sum of ₹2,500 crore on February 17, 2020 and a further sum of ₹1,000 crore on February 20 towards the AGR liability.
"The company has paid a further amount of ₹3,354 crore to the DoT, being the balance part of the principal amount towards AGR liability. Thus the company has paid the full principal amount of ₹6,854 crore towards the AGR dues," it had said.
According to Vodafone Idea's own assessment, its AGR dues stand at ₹21,533 crore and the principal amount out of the total dues is ₹6,854 crore. However, according to the DoT's estimate, the company's overall dues stand at ₹53,000 crore.
On the other hand, the behemoth Jio Platforms has an equity value of ₹4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of ₹5.16 lakh crore.
Over the last month, leading technology investors such as Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista, General Atlantic and KKR have announced aggregate investments of ₹78,562 crore into Jio Platforms.
Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
28 May, 17:50 IST
google
vodafone idea
### Related Stories
05 Oct 2026
71,590,667,886,041
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS
## Tips & Tricks
### How to turn your photos into Ghibli-style art with ChatGPT for free: Step-by-step guide
### How to create an invitation using iPhone’s new Apple Invites app- Step-by-step guide
### Apple TV app arrives on Android phones and tablets: What you get and how to install it
### Vodafone Idea users can now stream 17 OTT apps with one subscription: Here's how
### How to transfer data from one Android to another using Google backup, USB-C cable, and more
## Editor’s Pick
### iPhone 16e launched in India: All details about the new budget mobile from Apple
### DeepSeek AI: How it works, who’s behind it, how it’s different from ChatGPT, and its big US market impact explained
### iPhone 17 Air likely to get this feature that iPhone 17 Pro models may miss out on
### Google Whisk AI explained: How remixing works, availability, and how it differs from Gemini
### iOS 18.4 beta arriving soon: Know why it is the biggest iPhone update
## Trending Stories
### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order
### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC
### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more
### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report
### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside
keep up with tech
## Gaming
### Top 5 gaming monitors under ₹20000 you should consider
### Grab gaming consoles at discounted rates during Amazon Great Indian Festival: Up to 72% off
### Pokémon GO Wild Area 2025 to bring Grimmsnarl family, Shiny Hatenna, and global challenges
### Shade Silver free on Steam for a limited time: Here’s how to get it
### Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 skips Switch 2 at launch, release date and price leak
## Trending News
### Airtel 5G SIM card will now be delivered in 10 minutes with Blinkit- How to order
### Infinix Note 50s 5G+ set to launch in India with 64MP camera and MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC
### Xiaomi X Pro QLED Series sale starts in India: Check price, availability, and more
### Apple plans to train AI using your on-device data without accessing personal content or emails: Report
### CMF Buds 2 key features and price revealed ahead of April 28 launch: Details inside
## Trending Gadgets
Mobiles
Laptops
Tablets
- https://tech.hindustantimes.com/tech/news/google-explores-5-stake-in-struggling-vodafone-idea-71590667886041.html