Indian telco Vodafone Idea (Vi) has announced the appointment of Abhijit Kishore as its CEO.

In a regulatory filing this week, the carrier said Kishore, currently chief operating officer, will start the role on Monday, August 18.

He's been given a three-year contract and replaces Akshaya Moondra, who spent three years at the helm.

Moondra has overseen a difficult period for the debt-stricken carrier, during which it has continued to shed customers.

Vi's debt has grown to more than $22 billion, as the company has struggled to keep pace with its 5G rollout compared to its rivals.

The company, which was created in 2018 following the merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, has been struggling to pay its dues to its vendor partners after it was saved from the brink of collapse by the Indian government three years ago.

It was reported in June that the Indian government was considering a number of options to support Vi, amid the telco's ongoing financial struggles.

The most recent quarter saw Vi's consolidated loss after tax grow to 66.08 billion rupees ($754.49 million) from a loss of 64.32 billion rupees ($733m) a year earlier.

Vi's financial challenges have heavily impacted the company's 5G rollout, which only launched in March, two-and-a-half years behind schedule.

For context, rival domestic telcos Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel launched their 5G networks in October 2022.

Since launching 5G earlier this year, Vi has expanded the network to 22 cities, as pointed out by Moondra during his last earnings call as CEO.