Vittorio Colao, chief executive of Vodafone, with Kumar Mangalam Birla, said the new company would have a long-term commitment to bring world-class 4G networks to India ReutersVodafone Group has ended its attempt to take on the Indian market single handedly, after agreeing to merge with a local rival to create a company that will dominate the sector and draw new battle lines in the fight for control of the country’s digital economy. The agreement between Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, controlled by the Mumbai-based billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla, follows a price war that proved too difficult for the British telecoms company to fight single-handed. It was sparked by Reliance Jio, a cheap upstart rival with big ambitions that has amassed about 100 million subscribers since its launch last September by Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man. Reliance put Vodafone and Idea under enormous pressure by offering 4G mobile broadband services for free…
