Indian government-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) is in advanced talks with local broadband services provider Infotel Broadband for the sharing of 24,000 of its towers, according to the Financial Express.
The partnership would help BSNL, which has had…
Indian government-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) is in advanced talks with local broadband services provider Infotel Broadband for the sharing of 24,000 of its towers, according to the Financial Express.
The partnership would help BSNL, which has had financial difficulties in recent years, shore up its revenues.
It would also reportedly mark BSNL’s largest tower sharing agreement to date.
Meanwhile, this alliance would allow Infotel, the only company to have secured a pan-Indian BWA licence in 2010, to launch 4G services by the end of the year.
The Financial Express claimed that BSNL has offered substantial discounts to Infotel for renting its towers.
Infotel is controlled by Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, itself headed by Mukesh Ambani.
In early November, it had been reported that Mukesh Ambani was mulling a partnership with his brother and head of telecom group Reliance Communications, Anil Ambani.
The two brothers have been estranged for more than six years following a dispute over gas supply between their respective companies.
A partnership was expected to see Reliance Industries use the telecom tower infrastructure owned by RCom.
Most importantly, it had been suggested that an agreement between Reliance Industries and RCom could be the first step towards the two brothers deciding to merge their groups.
Both BSNL and Reliance Industries could not be reached for comment.
