Bharti Airtel acquired 49 Per Cent Stake in Qualcomm’s Broadband Wireless Access Business

India’s leading telecom company Bharti Airtel on 23 May 2012, acquired 49 per cent stake in Qualcomm’s broadband wireless access (BWA) business in India in a deal worth 165 million dollar (about 922 crore rupees).

Qualcomm had won spectrum for high-speed data services in the four circles through auction in June, 2010, and had paid 4912.54 crore rupees (about 1 billion dollar) for the same. The company had received the license for 20 years but later it was reduced to 18.5 years given the delay in the allotment of the spectrum.

Bharti Airtel already holds BWA licenses in four circles including Punjab, Maharashtra, Kolkata and Karnataka. The newly found alliance will combine the strength of Bharti’s national telecom footprint and Qualcomm’s technological leadership in the LTE TDD space.