Vodafone says in Indian merger talks with Idea Cellular

Vodafone said on Monday it was in talks to merge its Indian operations with rival Idea Cellular in an all-share deal that would create a new market leader better able to cope with the brutal price war convulsing the industry. India's three leading mobile operators, Bharti Airtel , Vodafone and Idea, have all been hammered by the arrival of Jio Infocomm, a new operator owned by the billionaire Mukesh Ambani which has shaken up the market by offering free voice and data to customers.