New Delhi, Nov. 10 -- Vodafone Idea Ltd, India's third-largest telecom operator, reported a better-than-expected performance for the September quarter on Monday.

It reported a net loss of Rs.5,524 crore, lower than the Rs.7,176 crore loss a year ago. The hit was also less than Bloomberg's estimate of a Rs.6,712 crore loss for the quarter.

The lower losses can be attributed to a reduction in expenses, especially finance costs, which include interest payments on debt and other liabilities for the company. Finance costs, accounting for 43% of its revenue from operations, fell nearly 28% year-on-year to Rs.4,784 crore.

On a sequential basis, the operator's losses narrowed from Rs.6,608 crore as the finance cost fell 18.8%.

The company rep...