Bharti Airtel has entered into an agreement with Tikona Digital Networks to acquire the latter’s 4G business, including the Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum and 350 sites, in five telecom circles for around Rs 1,600 crore.
Tikona currently has 20 MHz spectrum in the 2,300 MHz band in Gujarat, UP (East), UP (West), Rajasthan and Himachal 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.
According to 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 2,300 MHz band in Rajasthan, UP (East) and UP (West), thereby securing a pan-India footprint in the band.
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 2,300 MHz band in 13 circles giving it tremendous advantage to handle the surging data demand.
