Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) said it would spend up to $413 million on shares in Bharti Telecom, lifting its stake slightly in the holding company for Bharti Airtel to just under half.

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"While there are currently headwinds in India, we take a long-term view of our investment in Airtel which continues to be a strong market leader in a region with rapidly increasing smartphone penetration and mobile data adoption," Arthur Lang, CEO International at Singtel, said in a statement.

India`s telecommunications sector has been hit hard by a price war since the entry of carrier Reliance Jio, the telecoms arm of Reliance Industries Ltd , more than a year ago.

The purchase worth as much as 26.5 billion rupees could increase Singtel`s stake in Bharti Telecom by up to 1.7 percentage points to 48.9 percent and its holding in Bharti Airtel, the country`s biggest mobile carrier, by up to 0.9 percentage points to 39.5 percent. The deal will be done via a preferential share allotment.

Singtel has assembled a portfolio of stakes in regional mobile firms outside its small home market, and overseas businesses now account for about 75 percent of its core earnings.