Bharti fueled a 1600 crore investment to buy Tikona’s 4G airwaves, boosting strength for High-Speed broadband spectrum. After the merger of Vodafone and Idea, Airtel takes on rivals including Jio Infocomm and Voda-Idea collaboration.
Recently Vodafone and Idea said they are merging to form a company that can replace Bharti Airtel as largest telecom in India. This new deal will help Bharti Airtel to increase 4G airwaves in five circles – UP East, Rajasthan, Himachal and Gujarat. This deal will help Airtel get spectrum in 2300 MHz band across all circles after this deal.
According to company’s statement, they are eager to roll out 4G services in this newly acquired spectrum immediately.
Many merger and acquisition activities gather momentum in the telecommunications industry. Idea and Vodafone agreed to merge in one company on march 20.
“Airtel’s continued focus on strengthening its 4G capabilities across multiple spectrum bands will be complemented with the BWA spectrum acquisition from Tikona,” Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel, said.
“Overall things are heading in the right direction for a healthy competition. The Indian telecom sector is under pressure and the future expansion and growth will depend on the quantum of spectrum held and the quality of services offered. Such acquisitions help operators to address the above-highlighted issues,” he said.
Post-completion of the deal, Airtel will have 30 MHz in the 2300 MHz band in 13 circles. Airtel to get an advantage in handling the surging data demand, according to the statement.