www.WirelessFederation.com/news: S Tel and Reliance Infratel have reportedly inked an infrastructure agreement for sharing telecom towers, transmission for BTS sites and fibre backbone for intercity connectivity.
The pact covers six circles – Orissa, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Northeast, Assam and Jammu and Kashmir where the telecom operator plans to roll out its GSM services soon.
On 08.29.09, In Mobile, By Editor
On 07.14.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) has reportedly increased its stake in new Indian mobile operator S-Tel from 36.9% to 42.7% following a USD38.8 million investment. According to a report, S-Tel won a legal challenge against the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), with the Delhi High Court ordering the regulator to grant the cellco licences to operate in 16 additional circles. In spite of the victory however, S-Tel has indicated it will likely focus its efforts on rolling out in the north east of the country.
On 07.13.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Batelco intends to start its Indian operations in Q4′09, in affiliation with S Tel. The company said in April its 2009 net profit would depend on whether it starts the operations in the fourth quarter or the first quarter of 2010.
“We have been working very closely with our partners and we are looking forward to the launch of full services from S Tel during quarter four this year,” Chief Executive Peter Kaliaropoulos said in the statement.
Kaliaropoulos said in April he expected full-year net profit to be above 90 million Bahraini dinars ($238.7 million) if its Indian affiliate started operations in the fourth quarter and booked start-up costs of about 9 million dinars.
He anticipates the profits to cross 100 million dinar if the operations in India start next year.
On 07.11.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: S-Tel, the new entrant in the Indian mobile market, may not intend to launch its mobile services in all circles, even after having won a two-year legal battle to be awarded licences for 16 of the country’s regions. S-Tel with its plans of launching services in limited regions, will make an investment of INR20 billion (USD408.4 million) on network rollouts in the North East in next 3 years. Moreover, the cellco plans to bid for a 3G licence when the auction process begins.
On 05.12.09, In Mobile, By Editor
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: A Batelco led consortium has completed the acquisition of a 49% of shareholding in Indian mobile operator S Tel Limited for $225 million.
S Tel holds a licence to operate in six out of the 23 Indian states in North East and North West India, where the population is approximately 230 million and mobile penetration is less than 20%.
Batelco Group CEO Peter Kaliaropoulos said: “Conditions precedent have been satisfied and Batelco has completed the first phase of its investment in S Tel. Batelco now holds a 36.9% share of S Tel and in the coming months the shareholding will increase to 49%.”
He further said that the priority for the operator is now to assist S Tel in order to accelerate the rolling out of services in Q4′09.
Batelco Chairman Sheikh Hamad said the operator plans to further extend its geographical footprint with additional acquisitions across the Middle East and Africa, India and the Asia Pacific region.
On 01.19.09, In Mobile, By Editor
Baharain’s Telecom operator Batelco, (the leading integrated telecommunications company in Bahrain with operations in six markets across the Middle East) is expanding its mobile operation by investing in India. Batelco has agreed to buy 49% shareholding in S Tel Limited (S Tel) for US$225 million. According to the company’s statement, Batelco has partnered with Millennium Private Equity (MPE), a Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) regulated entity to form Batelco Millennium India Company (BMICL) to purchase the shares in S Tel.
S Tel has licenses to operate in Bihar, Orissa, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, North East and Assam and the finalisation of the purchase is subject to preconditions but full completion is expected by end of Q1 2009.
S Tel Director Santosh Robert stated that he welcomed Batelco, an experienced operator in the mobile telephony market, to take part in development and growth opportunities in one of the fastest growing telecom markets in the world.
S Tel will benefit operationally by leveraging synergies with Batelco which through BMICL will be a significant shareholder in our company and together we would like to take a major part in shaping the future Indian telecommunication landscape, he said.
Batelco Chief Executive Peter Kaliaropoulos stated that the acquisition of the S Tel shares in partnership with MPE will provide significant growth opportunities for Batelco in the expanding Indian market, the third largest and fastest growing mobile market in the world.