Bharti Airtel rumoured to be discussing BWA licence purchase from Qualcomm

Indian cellco Bharti Airtel is in "advanced discussions" to buy Qualcomm’s 4G licences in key markets such as Delhi and Mumbai, according to local press reports.

According to sources at the Times of India, Bharti is looking to pay INR60 billion (US$1.1 billion) for the US chipmaker’s 74 per cent stake in a local joint venture it set up to acquire Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) licences in a deal that could be tied up by June. Qualcomm paid more than US$1 billion in 2010 for 20MHz of TDD BWA spectrum in the 2.3GHz band covering the key circles of Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala.

Bharti already owns BWA spectrum in four other circles and this week became the country’s first commercial 4G operator, launching services utilising TD-LTE technology in Kolkata.

Although neither firm was prepared to comment, a deal between Bharti and Qualcomm is thought to have been on the table for at least a year but has been delayed due to problems with Qualcomm receiving the airwaves – an issue now thought to be resolved. The US firm has consistently said it plans to exit the market once the venture is up and running.