Bharti Airtel to buy Telenor India

The deal will bolster Airtel's footprint with additional spectrum in the 1800 MHz band

Bharti Airtel, India's largest telecoms network operator, said it would buy Telenor (India) Communications Pvt Ltd, in a deal that will bolster Airtel's footprint with additional spectrum in the 1800 MHz band.

Airtel will buy Telenor's India operations in seven circles - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West) and Assam, the company said in a statement.

“The customers of Telenor India will now be able to enjoy India’s widest and fastest voice & data network, and a range of Airtel’s world-class products and services”, said Gopal Vittal, managing director and CEO (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel.

The proposed acquisition will include transfer of all of Telenor India’s assets and customers, further augmenting Airtel’s overall customer base and network.

Speaking on the acquisition, Sigve Brekke, chief executive officer of Telenor Group said that the significant investments needed to secure Telenor India’s future business on a standalone basis will not give an acceptable level of return.”

The acquisition is subject to requisite regulatory approvals. Telenor India’s operations and services will continue as normal until the completion of the transaction.
 

Sl. No.	*Acquisition timeline	Company / Spectrum acquired	Telecom Circles
1	May-2012	Qualcomm AP’s India	Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala
2	Jun-2014	Loop Mobile	Mumbai
3	Aug-2015	Augere Wireless Broadband India	Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh (MPCG)
4	Mar-2016	Videocon Telecommunications	Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, UP (East) and UP (West)
5	Apr-2016	Aircel Dishnet Wireless	Tamil Nadu (including Chennai), Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal, Assam, North East, Orissa and and Andhra Pradesh
6	Feb 23 - 2017	Telenor (India) Communications	Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, UP (East), UP (West) and Assam