Bharti Airtel on Thursday said that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Tikona Digital Networks to acquire Tikona’s 4G business including the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum and 350 sites, in five telecom circles, adding momentum to merger and acquisitions in the telecom sector which recently saw two mammoths – Idea and Vodafone – teaming up to take on competition.
The acquisition is subject to requisite regulatory approvals.
Bharti Airtel last month signed a definitive agreement with Telenor South Asia Investments Pte Ltd to acquire Telenor (India) Communications Private Ltd. Airtel and Telenor India will merge and Airtel will take over Telenor India as soon as all necessary approvals are received.
The deal will significantly bolster Airtel’s spectrum position in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, taking its overall BWA spectrum holding to 30 MHz each in these circles. Post completion of the deal, Airtel will have 30 MHz in the 2300 MHz band in 13 circles giving it tremendous advantage to handle the surging data demand.
Tikona currently has 20 MHz spectrum in the 2300 MHz band in Gujarat, UP (East), UP (West), Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh circles. Airtel plans to roll-out high speed 4G services on the newly acquired spectrum in the five circles immediately after the closure of the transaction.
As per the agreement, the acquisition of the 4G business in Gujarat, UP (East), UP (West) and Himachal Pradesh will be undertaken by Airtel, while in the Rajasthan circle, it will be accomplished through Airtel’s subsidiary Bharti Hexacom Limited. Post-acquisition, the combined spectrum holding of Airtel in these five circles will be within the spectrum caps prescribed by the Government.
The proposed acquisition will enable Airtel to fill BWA spectrum gaps in the 2300 MHz band in Rajasthan, UP (East) and UP (West), thereby securing a pan India footprint in the band.
"Airtel’s continued focus on strengthening its 4G capabilities across multiple spectrum bands will be complemented with the BWA spectrum acquisition from Tikona. We believe that combining our capacities in TD-LTE and FD-LTE will further bolster our network, and help us provide unmatched high-speed wireless broadband experience to our customers. We remain committed to our vision of leading India’s digital revolution by offering world-class and affordable telecom services through a robust spectrum portfolio spread across multiple bands," Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel, said in a statement.
