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This is an archive article published on June 4, 2000
Bharti plans another cell acquisition
HYDERABAD, JUNE 3: The Bharti group is open to picking up another cellular license this time in the North, group chairman and managing dir...
Written by C Chitti Pantulu
June 4, 2000 12:00 AM IST
2 min read
2 min read
HYDERABAD, JUNE 3: The Bharti group is open to picking up another cellular license this time in the North, group chairman and managing director Sunil Bharti Mittal said today.
But the Delhi based telecom company chief hastened to add negotiations were yet to begin though there were three such likely players.However, this would be the last such license to be picked up through the acquisition route by the group before it goes on to expand coverage by opting for the fourth license once the union government opens them up, Mittal said.
He was in the city in connection with the launch of AirTel brand and services in Andhra Pradesh.
Bharti Mobile picked up the JTM license at Rs 400 crore gaining access to the Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka regions while it is in the process of tying up the takeover of the AirCell license in Tamil Nadu.
With the takeover of JTM in the two states Bharti added roughly 1.10 lakh subscribers to its base while Mittal said the company planned to increase it overall to one million by March 2001.
quot;However, we are a medium sized company and we do not want to keep on acquiring companiesquot;, Mittal, who was in Hyderabad in connection with the launching of Bharati Mobile8217;s AirTel brand in Andhra Pradesh today, said.With the prospect of DoT and MTNL now coming into the cellular game, the fourth licenses would have to be opened up in all the major cities and we would definitely bid for them, he added.
The TRAI is expected to send its recommendation on the issue to the Centre on June 16.
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