BHARTIARTL

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are her own.

By Shritama Bose

MUMBAI, May 19 (Reuters Breakingviews) - India is shaking off a decade-old suspicion of flighty foreigners. Officials are easing rules to let them own more of its $600 billion of company debt and smoothing access to treasuries. Global economic conditions do not favour an immediate deluge of flows, but the country's road to a deeper bond market is getting shorter.

The central bank this month removed a 30% cap on outsiders owning bonds with residual maturity of less than a year. Days later, markets watchdog Securities and Exchange Board of India proposed a simpler due diligence regime for treasury-focused investors that could ease compliance for funds with complex structures or multiple schemes.

The reforms signal India is warming up to what it once considered hot money: itinerant pools of capital that bet on interest rate and currency differentials between markets. That's a big turnaround from a decade ago. Back then, authorities restricted their access to short-term securities following massive outflows during the so-called taper tantrum, sparked by the U.S. central bank revealing it would start scaling back its asset purchase program.

At present, rising U.S. yields dim the allure of Indian debt: foreign portfolio investors have used only 14% of the quota of company bonds available to them, down from 38% in May 2020. Officials are therefore willing to adjust conditions to be more favourable for high-yield seekers like Ares Management ARES.N and Oaktree, which are pushing into the market and prefer to hold debt to redemption rather than constantly monitor residual maturities for illiquid paper.

The additional liquidity it attracts could create a new layer of issuers between top-rated companies which dominate the market and high-risk borrowers, said Jayesh Mehta, vice chairman and CEO at non-bank lender DSP Finance. Bond issuance by Indian companies hit a record high in 2024. Top issuers included Bajaj Finance BJFN.NS and the parent firm of Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS.

Cash will not gush in immediately, as the yield differential between U.S. treasuries and the Indian equivalent is just 170 basis points, the narrowest in two decades. Over time, the shift will help India cut its companies' dependence on bank lending. There's a long way to go: the country's corporate bond market is just 16% of GDP, less than half the ratio for China. Still, it's better to open up when inflows will be a trickle rather than a flood.

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CONTEXT NEWS

Securities and Exchange Board of India on May 13 proposed dropping disclosure requirements on group details of foreign investors who hold Indian government bonds.

The country's central bank on May 8 withdrew short-term investment and concentration limits applied to FPIs investing in Indian company debt.

(Editing by Una Galani and Aditya Srivastav)

((For previous columns by the author, Reuters customers can click on BOSE/[email protected]))

Recasts paragraph 1, adds details and background throughout

May 13 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS, India's second-largest telecom operator, beat quarterly profit estimates on Tuesday, helped by a continued boost in its revenue per user from last year's price hikes and a growing subscriber base.

The company reported a consolidated net profit of 110.22 billion rupees ($1.29 billion) for the quarter ending March 31, above analysts' average expectation of 65.24 billion rupees, as per data compiled by LSEG.

Airtel benefited from a net tax gain of 28.92 billion rupees during the quarter.

Its average revenue per user (ARPU) – a key telecom performance metric – rose 17.2% year-on-year to 245 rupees. The company has the highest ARPU among peers.

Telecom firms continue to benefit from last year's tariff hikes, analysts have said.

India's three private mobile carriers - Reliance Industries-owned RELI.NS-Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea VODA.NS - raised tariffs in July 2024 for the first time in over two years, aiming to recoup billions invested in 5G technology.

Last month, Jio reported an ARPU of 206.2 rupees for the quarter and a 24.5% rise in profit. Vodafone Idea VODA.NS has yet to report results.

India's telecom sector has seen intense competition for market share since Jio's entry in 2017, with it overtaking peers to command the largest user base.

Airtel's user base rose 4.4% year-on-year to 424 million as of March 31, compared to Jio's 488.2 million.

Its revenue from operations came in at 478.76 billion rupees, below analysts' estimate of 487.47 billion rupees.

The March quarter marked the first time Airtel's results fully reflected the revenue contribution from unit Indus Towers INUS.NS, which it began consolidating after gaining a controlling stake last year.

Shares of Bharti Airtel closed 2.7% lower ahead of results.

($1 = 85.2780 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Aleef Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Shailesh Kuber)

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Corrects headline to say Sunil Mittal is in advanced, not early, talks for a Haier India stake

May 9 (Reuters) - Sunil Mittal, the founder of India's Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS, is in advanced talks for a 49% stake worth $2 billion in the Indian unit of Chinese electronics and appliance maker Haier 600690.SS, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru)

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** Shares of telecom operator Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS rise 2.5% to hit record high at 1,912 rupees

** More than 785,000 shares traded in 13 block deals at 1,887.40 rupees to 1,906 rupees per share - LSEG data

** Prices at a premium to stock's last close of 1,866 rupees

** Stock among top gainers in bluechip Nifty 50 index .NSEI which is down 0.3%

** Avg rating of 28 analysts equivalent of "buy", median PT is 1,900 rupees - data compiled by LSEG

** YTD stock up 19.5% vs 3.2% rise by Nifty 50

(Reporting by Ashish Chandra in Bengaluru)

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April 25 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd BRTI.NS:

• ANNOUNCES NEW INTERNATIONAL ROAMING PLANS

• UNVEILS UNLIMITED DATA PLANS ON SELECT PLANS ACROSS 189 COUNTRIES

• LAUNCHES 4,000 RUPEES INTERNATIONAL ROAMING PLAN WITH 1-YEAR VALIDITY

Source text: ID:nBSE2zwQ8P

Further company coverage: BRTI.NS

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** Shares of Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS fall 2% to 1,843.80 rupees

** Telco writes to govt seeking conversion of its spectrum dues into equity, CNBC Awaaz reports, citing sources

** Spectrum dues of BRTI till December 2024 were 740 bln rupees ($8.67 bln), per report

** Bharti Airtel did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment

** Bharti Airtel among top pct losers on the Nifty 50 index .NSEI

** BRTI up ~16% YTD vs 2.5% YTD gains in NSEI

($1 = 85.3400 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Vijay Malkar)

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April 22 (Reuters) - Indian telecom operator Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS will buy 5G telecom spectrum from a unit of Adani Enterprises ADEL.NS, the company said on Tuesday.

Airtel and its unit Bharti Hexacom BHAX.NS have signed agreements with Adani Data Networks to acquire rights to use 400 MHz of high-frequency spectrum across six circles including Gujarat, Mumbai and Andhra Pradesh.

The companies did not disclose the financial details of the deal.

Airtel is focussed on expanding its 5G network and user base. Its 5G user base stood at about 120 million at the end of December against its total user base of 414 million.

(Reporting by Aleef Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala)

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April 21 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd BRTI.NS:

• EXPANDS SPAM ALERTS TO INTERNATIONAL CALLS AND MESSAGES

Source text: ID:nBSECvMYq

Further company coverage: BRTI.NS

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April 15 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd BRTI.NS:

• AIRTEL PARTNERS WITH BLINKIT

• BLINKIT PARTNERSHIP FOR DELIVERY OF SIM CARDS TO ITS CUSTOMERS WITHIN TEN MINUTES

Further company coverage: BRTI.NSETEA.NS

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April 2 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd BRTI.NS:

• BHARTI AIRTEL - BHARTI AIRTEL AND NOKIA EXPAND CORE NETWORK COLLABORATION TO SPEED-UP NEW 5G SERVICE DELIVERY

• BHARTI AIRTEL LTD - NOKIA TO PROVIDE PACKET CORE AND FIXED WIRELESS ACCESS SOLUTIONS

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: BRTI.NS

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March 27 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd BRTI.NS:

• AIRTEL LANDS THE 2AFRICA PEARLS CABLE IN INDIA

• 2AFRICA PEARLS BRINGS OVER 100TBPS OF INTERNATIONAL CAPACITY TO INDIA

• PARTNERS WITH CENTER3 AND META FOR 2AFRICA PEARLS

Source text: [ID:]

Further company coverage: BRTI.NS

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Adds context, details from paragraph 2 onwards

March 26 (Reuters) - India's Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS and its unit Bharti Hexacom BHAX.NS have prepaid 59.85 billion rupees ($698.33 million) to the government, fully clearing "high-cost" liabilities from the 2024 spectrum auctions, the telecom company said on Wednesday.

Airtel, the country's no.2 telecom firm by user base, has been prepaying high-cost spectrum dues that it and other Indian telecom operators owe the government, following years of high-stakes auctions and aggressive bidding for airwaves.

The latest payment has trimmed Airtel's debt pile related to spectrum to 520 billion rupees, bringing down the cost of debt to 7.22%, the company said.

Airtel's early payments now total 666.65 billion rupees ($7.78 billion), it said, adding that it has settled liabilities with interest rates of 10%, 9.75%, and 9.3% about seven years before their average maturity dates.

The latest payment was made for liabilities that carried an interest rate of 8.65%, Airtel said, without specifying when the debt was previously due.

Peer Vodafone Idea VODA.NS owes about 1.42 trillion rupees in spectrum dues as of September 2024.

Another Airtel subsidiary, Network i2i, also redeemed $1 billion in perpetual debt securities - a debt instrument with no fixed maturity date - reducing the company’s outstanding perpetual notes to $479 million, the telecom company said.

Airtel's shares closed 0.5% higher on Wednesday after the announcement.

($1 = 85.7050 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Aleef Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)

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By Nivedita Bhattacharjee

BENGALURU, March 25 (Reuters) - As Starlink nears regulatory approval in India for satellite broadband services, analysts say a victory there could pave a road into more emerging markets and boost the company's ambitions to add a million subscribers every year.

There are still legal hurdles to overcome, and competition from companies such as Eutelsat and China's SpaceSail, which is entering Brazil, Malaysia and Kazakhstan. SpaceX also argues that U.S. regulations put it at a disadvantage against foreign rivals.

But a foothold in India would be a potential $25 billion boon for Starlink, helping it reshape that country's satellite broadband industry and making an attractive case to other developing markets, experts say.

"Starlink securing the contract serves both as a strategic PR victory and a demonstration that it has successfully navigated challenges that seemed insurmountable for most other operators. From Starlink’s perspective, India is not only a credibility boost but also a crucial test of its economic feasibility in emerging markets," said independent satcom specialist Davis Mathew Kuriakose.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX-owned satellite internet network has been waiting since 2022 for licenses to operate commercially in India, locked in a regulatory impasse over spectrum allocation. Starlink did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The standoff saw Starlink clash publicly with Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio and Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel over whether India should auction satellite broadband spectrum - favouring existing telecom players - or allocate it administratively, which would benefit newer entrants such as Starlink.

India decided in October it would allocate the bandwidth.

In a surprise development this month, Mittal’s Airtel and Ambani’s Jio signed separate agreements with SpaceX to bring Starlink services to India, a move industry insiders say signals that regulatory hurdles may soon clear.

Goldman Sachs forecasts that low Earth orbit (LEO) subscription fees, which include broadband and mobile services, will get dramatically cheaper, with prices dropping from $148 per month in 2023 to about $16 per month by 2035. Goldman also estimates the global satellite market will surge from $15 billion to at least $108 billion by 2035.

Space-focused financial firm Quilty Space projects Starlink will add 3 million subscribers globally in 2025, with 1 million coming from Asia, its director of research Caleb Henry said.

“India will be the biggest contributor to Starlink’s Asia subscriber growth once authorized,” Henry said.

'A SEAT AT THE TABLE'

Six industry experts interviewed by Reuters noted that SpaceX’s revenue gains in India will depend on its pricing strategy.

Three of them expect Starlink to offer competitive broadband plans, potentially starting at $15 a month — a price point designed to challenge India’s existing market, where basic plans start at about $12.

“There’s always going to be a subset of the market willing to pay a premium for convenience. India is an aspirational market, and the brand value of having a Starlink connection is also an added edge,” said Vivek Prasad, principal analyst for space and satellite at consulting firm Analysys Mason.

Starlink operates in more than 120 markets with varying levels of regulatory complexity, including spectrum coordination requirements.

The company's deals with Reliance and Airtel need final regulatory clearances but were signed just weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Musk in Washington — an interaction that analysts say may have helped smooth the way.

Approval in India would give Starlink a leg up on any rivals hoping to enter that country, said three industry executives who declined to be named because of business sensitivities.

"India's satellite internet market is just coming up, with a potential addressable market of some 700 million customers. Starlink gets a seat at the table to influence how that market develops," said one senior executive.

India's space regulator and the department of telecoms did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Starlink's license approval.

The SatCom Industry Association - India said Starlink's entry would foster growth in the sector.

"This will fuel employment growth in satellite network operations, ground stations, equipment manufacturing, and rural broadband services, while enhancing the global competitiveness of Indian space startups collaborating with international players," the industry body said.

(Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing. Editing by Gerry Doyle)

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Adds details and background from paragraph 2 onwards

March 19 (Reuters) - Vodafone Idea VODA.NS is in exploratory talks with various satellite communication providers, including Starlink, the company said on Wednesday, a week after the Indian telecom firm's rivals signed deals with Elon Musk's company.

The mobile operator made the disclosure after Indian stock exchanges sought a clarification on its stock move and a report by local financial news website Moneycontrol earlier in the day.

Shares of Vodafone Idea rose nearly 5% on Wednesday.

"Our strategy is to provide services -- whether fixed or mobile -- in uncovered areas, where satellite makes perfect sense," Vodafone Idea Chief Technology Officer Jagbir Singh told Moneycontrol, as per the report.

"The other (strategy) is to provide fixed wireless broadband in rural areas and smaller towns, where it is expensive to roll out such services."

Last week, Musk's SpaceX signed deals with Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS and Reliance Jio to bring Starlink's internet services to India.

As part of the deals, the Indian operators will stock Starlink's equipment in their retail stores, giving the US-based satellite communication firm a direct distribution point in thousands of such outlets across the country.

The deals will be conditional on Starlink obtaining government approval to begin operations in the country.

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Leroy Leo)

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The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are her own. Updates to add graphic.

By Shritama Bose

MUMBAI, March 18 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Elon Musk's businesses are breaking into India's orbit at interstellar speed. Weeks after the U.S. presidential advisor's electric-vehicle maker Tesla TSLA.O signed a lease for a store in Mumbai, firms backed by South Asian tycoons Mukesh Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal announced a deal to market Musk's Starlink internet services. The latest alliances may look like a win-win for all sides but they will complicate the SpaceX boss' ambition to conquer the world's second-largest telecoms market.

Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS and Reliance Industries' RELI.NS digital services unit Jio Platforms last week said they would sell Starlink devices in their retail stores and offer its broadband service to businesses. Strong domestic partners might help Musk get the official clearances Starlink is waiting for faster. Its presence would add satellite communications to the Indian operators' suite of offerings and make it easier to bring the country's geographically remote regions onto the grid.

For now, it poses no serious challenge to the incumbent duo which boasts a combined $305 billion market capitalisation and 766 million data customers. Unless the government subsidises satellite-based providers, Starlink’s pricing could be up to 14 times that of India’s major broadband networks, analysts at Bernstein reckon.

In the medium-term, though, Airtel and Jio have little incentive to push Starlink's services to their own customers, given the newcomer's potential to eventually disrupt parts of their core business: most Indians depend on mobile data for internet, meaning there’s a gap in the market for home broadband providers like Starlink. Indeed, Jio earlier disagreed with Musk on the manner in which New Delhi should distribute spectrum for satellite broadband. Both incumbents want airwaves to be allotted for just a fraction of the 20-year period that Musk prefers. Meanwhile, Airtel's parent, Bharti Enterprises, is a big investor in Starlink's Anglo-French rival Eutelsat ETL.PA.

Ultimately, U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats give the Indian government and its leading industrialists a strong incentive to make accommodating gestures in Washington's direction. India has seen its fair share of joint ventures with foreign companies rupture, New Delhi retains protectionist instincts, and tycoons are not easy partners. In the fast-evolving communications sector, it is easy to see how the goals of Musk and his new partners may quickly diverge.

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CONTEXT NEWS

India's telecom regulator plans to recommend that satellite broadband spectrum be allotted for around five years to assess initial market adoption, defying Elon Musk's Starlink, which is seeking a 20-year permit, Reuters reported on March 13, citing an unnamed senior government source.

Reliance Industries' telecom unit signed a deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring Starlink satellite internet services to India, the company said on March 12, a day after Bharti Airtel announced a similar arrangement with the U.S. company.

(Editing by Una Galani and Ujjaini Dutta)

((For previous columns by the author, Reuters customers can click on BOSE/[email protected]))

March 17 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd BRTI.NS:

• ERICSSON, VOLVO GROUP, AND AIRTEL ANNOUNCE RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP ON XR AND AI

Source text: ID:nBSE58zvT

Further company coverage: BRTI.NS

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By Aditya Kalra and Munsif Vengattil

NEW DELHI, March 13 (Reuters) - India's telecom regulator plans to recommend that satellite broadband spectrum be allotted for around five years to assess initial market adoption, defying Elon Musk's Starlink, which is seeking a 20-year permit, said a senior government source.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is currently working on key recommendations to the federal government, including a time frame and pricing of satellite spectrum, which will be administratively allotted.

Musk and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani forged a partnership this week that will allow Starlink devices to be sold in Ambani's Reliance RELI.NS stores, giving it large distribution access. They were rivals earlier - Ambani's telco subsidiary had unsuccessfully lobbied New Delhi for months to auction spectrum, and not allot it administratively as Musk wanted.

Starlink has pushed New Delhi to allot spectrum for 20 years to focus on "affordable pricing and longer-term business plans", while Reliance sought it for three years, after which it wants India to reassess the market, according to their public submissions.

Another Indian telco, Bharti Airtel, has also pushed for a 3-5 year period for the licence. Airtel and Musk have also signed a distribution deal for Starlink, like Ambani's Reliance.

TRAI plans to agree to demands for a lower licence time-frame "of around 5 years and then see how the sector grows," said the senior government source, who declined to be named as the decision-making process is confidential.

"This will help understand how the market stabilises, so there's no point going beyond five years," said the official.

An industry source familiar with licensing processes said the shorter time-frame will allow New Delhi to revise spectrum prices after five years as the market develops.

TRAI did not respond to Reuters queries. Airtel, Reliance and Starlink also did not immediately respond.

The government source added it will take about a month for the TRAI to finalise its recommendations on the licence time- frame and a per megahertz spectrum pricing, which will then be submitted to India's telecoms ministry for further action.

Musk's deals with Reliance and Airtel are subject to Starlink winning pending regulatory clearances in India, but came weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Musk in Washington, where they discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation.

Ambani has been worried that his telecom company, which spent $19 billion in airwave auctions, risks losing broadband customers to Starlink and potentially even data and voice clients later.

The satellite spectrum pricing "will be substantially lower" than traditional telecom licences, which are granted via auction for 20 years, the government official added.

KPMG estimates India’s satellite communication sector will grow more than 10 times in size to touch $25 billion by 2028.

(Reporting by Aditya Kalra; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

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Adds background, context in paragraph 3-4, shares paragraph 7

By Aditya Kalra, Munsif Vengattil and Nivedita Bhattacharjee

NEW DELHI, March 12 (Reuters) - Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio signed a deal with Elon Musk's SpaceX to bring Starlink satellite internet services to India, a surprise move from the billionaires after being at odds for months over how the country should grant them spectrum.

India's largest telecom operator will stock Starlink equipment in its retail stores, giving Starlink a direct distribution point in thousands of such outlets across the country.

Musk and Ambani had fought intensely over how airwaves should be assigned for satellite internet, with New Delhi finally siding with the allocation approach the U.S. billionaire lobbied for .

Ambani's Reliance had been concerned that Musk could dominate the telecom space once he launches his products, but the distribution deal will eventually see the Indian billionaire offering his rival's products in the fast-growing market, while also competing with them.

"While it has been surprising, it's a prudent strategy for Starlink to enter the India market and a win-win for all the parties involved earlier competing for the pie and now cooperating and sharing," said Neil Shah, co-founder of research firm Counterpoint.

The Reliance deal follows a similar partnership announcement between Starlink and India's No. 2 telecom player Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS a day before. Both the Airtel and Jio deals are conditional upon Starlink obtaining government approval to begin operations in the country.

Airtel shares lost as much as 1% in Mumbai trade on Wednesday after the Jio deal was announced, while Reliance Industries RELI.NS was trading marginally higher.

The agreements come weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Musk in Washington, where they discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation.

India's satellite service sector is set to grow 36% a year to $1.9 billion by 2030, according to Deloitte.

Starlink has been waiting since 2022 for licenses to operate commercially in India, with no clear timeline yet on a decision. It has been delayed for reasons including national security concerns.

The Jio-SpaceX deal is tied to certain financial terms and will help Reliance offer Starlink products in areas where the Indian company doesn't have offerings, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said, without disclosing details.

"This is a low-cost entry model" for Starlink in India, the person added.

Jio Platforms, which runs Reliance Jio, will also provide installation and activation support for the Starlink devices.

Reliance said in a statement that Jio and SpaceX are also evaluating other areas of cooperation to leverage their respective infrastructure, without elaborating.

MUSK AND INDIA

Starlink provides coverage to over 125 markets around the world.

As it awaits a license, it has faced some challenges in India, where authorities seized two of the company's devices, one in an armed conflict zone and another in a drug smuggling bust, prompting Musk to say that its satellite internet service is inactive in India.

The stakes are high for Musk in India, where he also recently signed a deal for first Tesla showroom to sell its imported electric cars.

Yet, tariffs of over 100% weigh on the carmaker, with Musk repeatedly complaining that they are among the steepest in the world.

"The (Starlink-Jio) deal creates a business modality for Starlink to make government approvals easier," said Chaitanya Giri, Space Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation.

"The advantage with Starlink is that it is a larger constellation, it benefits from SpaceX's high rocket launch frequency, and the geopolitical heft thanks to the Trump-Musk relationship," Giri added.

Jio Platforms, which already operates a satellite internet joint venture with Luxembourg-based SES SESFg.LU, has secured approvals from India's space regulator to launch commercial satellite broadband services in the country.

In previous stand-offs with Starlink, Ambani's Reliance had urged an auction but the Indian government sided with Musk, who wanted it to be allocated administratively, in line with global trends.

Ambani had lobbied New Delhi that he wanted a level playing field. His executives have been worried his telecom company, which spent $19 billion in airwave auctions, risks losing broadband customers to Starlink and potentially data and voice clients as technology advances.

Recasts lead paragraph, adds background on competition with Reliance Jio

March 11 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's Starlink has signed a deal with India's No. 2 telecoms company Airtel to bring Starlink's internet services to the world's most populous country, intensifying rivalry with fellow billionaire Mukesh Ambani's telecom firm Reliance Jio.

The pact will allow the U.S. satellite internet giant to utilize Airtel's retail store network to distribute its devices throughout India, and is conditional upon Starlink obtaining government approval to begin operations in the country.

Airtel said on Tuesday the companies will look at using each other's network infrastructure to enhance coverage, but didn't provide details. Airtel will also explore offering Starlink services to its business and other customers.

The Starlink announcement comes weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Elon Musk in Washington where they discussed issues including space, mobility, technology and innovation.

Starlink, which has long wanted to launch in India, has clashed recently with Ambani's telecom firm Reliance Jio over how the country should grant spectrum for satellite services.

Reliance had urged an auction but the Indian government sided with Musk, who wanted it to be allocated administratively, in line with global trends. Analysts say an auction, requiring much more investment, would likely deter foreign rivals.

Ambani has been worried that his telecom company, which spent $19 billion in airwave auctions, risks losing broadband customers to Starlink and potentially even data and voice clients later.

Airtel has a similar distribution agreement with global satellite group Eutelsat, where its parent entity owns a stake.

Eutelsat's OneWeb and Reliance Jio have already won approvals from India's space regulator to launch commercial satellite broadband services in the country.

(Reporting by Indranil Sarkar, Kashish Tandon and Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta, Devika Syamnath and Bernadette Baum)

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Feb 26 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd BRTI.NS:

• BHARTI AIRTEL- VERIFICATION RESPECT TO NEWS TATA, BHARTI GROUPS NEAR MEGA DTH MERGER

• BHARTI AIRTEL- CO AND TATA GROUP ARE IN BILATERAL DISCUSSIONS

Source text: ID:nBSE6dZTzj

Further company coverage: BRTI.NS

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** Shares of telecom operator Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS climb as much as 2.6% to 1,643.3 rupees, last up ~2%

** BRTI top gainer on benchmark Nifty 50 .NSEI, which is trading flat

** Goldman Sachs raised price target on BRTI stock by 5% to 1,780 rupees - a 11% premium on last close, keeps "buy" rating

** Median PT of 29 brokerages on BRTI is 1,871 rupees - data compiled by LSEG

** GS hikes FY25-28 revenue and EBITDA estimates for BRTI's India segment by 8% and 11%, respectively, driven by consolidation of Indus Towers

** Brokerage sees capital allocation concerns for its stake buy in Africa business

** BRTI rated "buy" on avg, peer Vodafone Idea VODA.NS is rated "sell" - data compiled by LSEG

** Year-to-date, BRTI up ~1%, while VODA down ~0.3%

(Reporting by Manvi Pant in Bengaluru)

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Feb 24 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd BRTI.NS:

• AIRTEL AND APPLE ENTER INTO A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

• DEAL TO EXCLUSIVELY OFFER APPLE TV+ AND APPLE MUSIC TO ITS WI-FI AND POSTPAID CUSTOMERS

• APPLE TV+ AVAILABLE TO HOME WI-FI CUSTOMERS AT 999 RUPEES

Source text: ID:nnAPN2NSPL5

Further company coverage: BRTI.NS

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Updates share prices in paragraph 2, adds graphics and analyst comment in paragraphs 10 and 11

By Roshan Thomas and Rishav Chatterjee

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Singapore Telecommunications (Singtel) STEL.SI issued a positive annual earnings outlook and posted a nearly threefold increase in third-quarter earnings on Wednesday, driven by an exceptional gain, propelling its shares to near six-year highs.

Shares in Singtel climbed 1.2% to S$3.4 and were on track for their strongest trading session since January 31, provided the gains hold. The stock was nearing its S$3.475 high from July 2019.

The firm's net profit rose 183.4% to S$1.3 billion ($968.85 million) for the three-month period ended December 31, from S$465 million last year.

Singtel recorded a net exceptional gain of S$639 million from disposal of partial stakes in Thailand associate Intouch INTUCH.BK and Indara, formerly known as Australia Tower Network, coupled with its share of an exceptional gain from its stake in India's Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS.

Singtel had reported a net exceptional loss of S$94 million a year earlier.

Airtel's gain primarily consisted of a fair value gain from the consolidation of Indus Towers, a reversal of a doubtful debt provision by Indus Towers, and foreign exchange gains from the appreciation of the Nigerian naira and Tanzanian shilling.

Singtel now anticipates its earnings before interest and taxes — excluding contributions from its associates — to rise at a robust pace, with a projected increase in the high teens to low twenties percentage range for the 2025 financial year.

This marks an optimistic shift from the earlier projection of growth in a more modest low-double digits.

The telecommunications giant said it expects to pay a total ordinary dividend of around 16.5 Singapore cents apiece for the financial year, higher than the 15 Singapore cents paid a year ago.

Citi analysts expect markets to react positively to the company's profit performance and have raised their price target on the stock.

"We keep Singtel at 'buy' with 5% FY25 yield poised for further expansion and with potential for additional capital management exercises in place. This is further complemented by sustained double digit net profit after tax growth outlook," Citi said.

($1 = 1.3418 Singapore dollars)

(Reporting by Roshan Thomas and Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; Editing by Alan Barona and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

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Feb 18 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd BRTI.NS:

• BHARTI AIRTEL - INDIAN CONTINENT INVESTMENT SOLD 0.84% STAKE IN CO FOR 84.85 BILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nnAPN2NM1I3

Further company coverage: BRTI.NS

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Feb 17 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd BRTI.NS:

• AIRTEL LANDS SEA-ME-WE-6 CABLE IN CHENNAI

Source text: ID:nBSE4jvw1b

Further company coverage: BRTI.NS

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Feb 14 (Reuters) - India's top court has rejected a request by telecom companies to recalculate the dues they owe the government, the Mint business daily reported on Friday.

The news sent shares of debt-saddled Vodafone Idea VODA.NS down 4.6%, while those of larger peer Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS declined 0.2%.

(Reporting by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]; Mobile: +91 9591011727;))

Corrects typo in headline

** Shares of Bharti Airtel BRTI.NS up 3.6% at 1,677.50 rupees

** BRTI top gainer in benchmark Nifty 50 index .NSEI, which is down 0.1%

** Telecom operator posts higher Q3 profit, helped by a one-time gain, subscriber additions and tariff hikes

** Subscriber additions were ahead of CLSA's estimates and "led the positive surprise," brokerage said

** BRTI shares up 5.7% so far this year vs a 0.3% drop in the Nifty 50

** BRTI shares jumped 54% last year

** Analysts average rating on BRTI is "buy", with median PT at 1,850 rupees, as per LSEG data

(Reporting by Sethuraman NR in Bengaluru)

(([email protected]; (+91 9945291420); Reuters Messaging: [email protected]))

Feb 6 (Reuters) - Bharti Airtel Ltd BRTI.NS:

• BHARTI AIRTEL LTD - BOARD APPROVES SALE OF 12,700 TELECOM TOWERS TO INDUS TOWERS

• BHARTI AIRTEL LTD - TRANSFER VALUED AT UP TO 21.75 BILLION RUPEES

Source text: ID:nBSE8765Bg

Further company coverage: BRTI.NS

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Feb 3 (Reuters) -

• MITTAL TO MEET BT MANAGEMENT OVER STRATEGY - FT

Source text: https://tinyurl.com/255vmhqz

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By Divya Chowdhury

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson expects the United States to continue to be at the forefront of technology development under President Donald Trump, which the company is ready to take advantage of, its chief technology officer said.

The industry is now in full-execution phase of OpenRAN, CTO Erik Ekudden told the Reuters Global Markets Forum, adding: "Of course we intend to continue to lead and drive that industry development."

OpenRAN allows operators to mix and match suppliers in their radio networks. Ericsson ERICb.ST, Huawei and Nokia NOKIA.HE, dominate the global telecoms equipment market with their proprietary technologies.

The focus is now on building artificial intelligence (AI)data centers and also leveraging that AI to optimize the performance of 5G networks, Ekudden said.

That is why every country needs to have innovation strategy to build on 5G and AI, he added.

"I expect U.S. to continue to push ahead in that, and if anything, the opportunities just seem fantastic right now to put in an extra gear and then make sure that we are part of that," Ekudden said.

He also said Ericsson's local-for-local manufacturing model gives it an advantage, helping it rely less on global trade and supply chains, as threats of a trade war loom under the new U.S. administration.

However, Ekudden said it was still early days to speculate on tariffs.

(Join GMF, a chat room hosted on LSEG Messenger, for live interviews: https://lseg.group/4ajdDTy)

(Reporting by Divya Chowdhury in Davos and Ankika Biswas in Bengaluru; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

(([email protected]; https://x.com/divyachowdhury; LSEG Messenger: [email protected]))