As expected, Vodafone is to merge its Indian operations with Idea Cellular in a $23bn deal which will create the country’s largest mobile operator. This will give Vodafone the scale to compete more effectively with established rivals like previous leader Bharti Airtel in the low margin market, and to fend off new challenger Reliance Jio. The combination of India’s second and third MNOs will create an entity with 42% of the market by subscribers (387m mobile users as of the end of 2016), dwarfing Airtel’s 33% (262m). The two companies are complementary too – Vodafone is strong in the enterprise and higher value subscribers while Idea is a leader among rural markets, which have strong growth potential. Vodafone Group CEO…