UAE’s Etisalat acquires 45% stake in Swan Telecom a deal for $900 million hits yesterday. Now Swan telecom is set to obtain mobile licences held by  Allianz Infratech. According to Industry sources, it is anticipated that the deal, which may run into a couple of hundred crores, is likely to be announced within a fortnight. Allianz Infratech had aaplied for Telecomlicences on a pan- India level but was permitted to instigate in only two circles, Madhya Pradesh & Bihar. Swan already have the licence to operate in 13 of the 22 telecom zones in India though Madhya Pradesh & Bihar is not included in these zones. Ajay Singh, Ashish Singh, Praveen Singh and Ashish Deora  are the four individuals-aviation entrepreneur who promotes Allianz Infratech. Each holds 25% of the share in the company. Following the deal, Swan will be able to provide telecom services in 15 circles covering over a billion people.Swan managing director Shahid Balwa denied the development. He admitted that Swan would make an acquisition to extend its footprint in India. Mr Balwa further said, Swan would launch mobile services in the first quarter of 2009. The company was in talks with existing operators and stand-alone tower companies for infrastructure sharing, he added. Swan Telecom is among the seven companies that was successful in obtaining GSM licences earler this year.

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