New Indian mobile operators Etisalat DB (formerly known as Swan Telecom) and Allianz Infratech seem to want to merge their operations. According to a Times of India report, Etisalat DB is to merge its activities in 13 circles with Allianz Infratech’s two universal access service (UAS) licenses (in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar) to create a new entity that will reach 15 out of India’s total 22 circles.
UAE’s Etisalat secured a 45% stake in Swan Telecom in September 2008, valuing the company at INR9,400 crore ($2 billion).
In the related news, Times of India reports that the Telecoms Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is currently looking to change the current M&A rules to encourage consolidation in the telecoms sector. The existing guidelines do not allow for mergers of two entities in the same service area, or the spectrum of two entities in the same service area to be combined till three years from the effective date of license…
[Via: GSMA]