Airtel in talks with rival players Vodafone, Idea for pan-India 3G partnership

Vodafone, Idea for pan-India 3G partnership

India’s top mobile phone company by subscribers Bharti Airtel Ltd. is in talks with local rivals, including Vodafone Essar Ltd. and Idea Cellular Ltd., on a strategic partnership to offer third generation services across the country, the Business Line reported Friday, citing Airtel’s Chief Executive Sanjay Kapoor.

While Bharti has won spectrum in 13 circles, Vodafone has 3G airwaves in nine and Idea in 11 circles. A network sharing or national roaming deal between the networks would enable them to offer services throughout the country, excluding Orissa. The three operators also jointly own the independent tower operator, Indus Tower, which will enable them to share basic infrastructure for 3G rollout.

While Mr Kapoor did not reveal the names of the operators in the alliance or the nature of the proposed partnership, he said that the deal will be firmed up before the company starts rolling out its 3G services by December. Industry sources indicated that Vodafone and Idea could be the likely partners.