Mumbai: Bharti Airtel managing director Gopal Vittal said that Indus Towers is a strategically critical asset for Airtel. During Airtel’s fiscal fourth quarter earnings call, Vittal also said that Airtel -- the largest stakeholder of Indus Towers -- is committed to ensuring the tower company remains strong, and that it won’t hesitate to take over the reins to prevent any instability caused by  key customer’s  continuing financial challenges.

Airtel has a 47.95 per cent stake in Indus, in which UK’s Vodafone Plc holds 21.05 per cent.

Vittal’s comments came a day after UK’s Vodafone Group Plc flagged uncertainties about cash-strapped Vi’s ability to meet its payment dues to Indus, saying that it purely hinges on its Indian telecom joint venture's ability to close its long pending fundraise. Vi is estimated to still owe around Rs 7,000 crore to Indus although it’s reckoned to be paying around 90-100 per cent of its current monthly dues.