New Delhi/San Diego, May 25, 2012: India-based global telecomcompany Bharti Airtel has acquired in the Indian broadband wireless access (BWA)  entities of mobile technologies leader, Qualcomm. This will give Airtel access to Qualcomm’s licenses to roll out broadband wireless  in the metros Delhi and Mumbai and the states of Haryana and Kerala. Airtel already has BWA licenses in four circles - Kolkata, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra - and 3G licenses in thirteen circles in Indi.
With this agreement, Bharti has secured a nation-wide broadband leadership through a combination of 4G and 3G, with its own networks in 18 circles. Bharti has already taken the lead in LTE TDD space by launching 4G services in Kolkata and Karnataka Circles.
Bharti has made an initial investment of approximately $165 million to acquire 49 percent interest in Qualcomm AP’s India entities and would assume complete ownership and financial responsibility for the BWA entities by the end of 2014.
Says Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Airtel: “We are delighted to partner with Qualcomm, who shares our commitment to the Government’s agenda of broadband for all. This partnership will combine the strength of Bharti’s national telecom footprint and Qualcomm’s technological leadership in the LTE TDD space. With a broadband ready network across India, Bharti is well positioned to lead the next phase of Indian’s telecom revolution.”
Adds Dr Paul E Jacobs, chairman and CEO of Qualcomm: “One of our key objectives has been to include a strong partner in the Indian venture with the scale, experience and resources to deploy LTE TDD networks. We are pleased to have Bharti’s participation and support in this effort.”
See our Tech Video: Enriching lives with broadband in India