Indian operator Bharti airtel is likely to buy the Indian wireless broadband business of chipmaker Qualcomm, reports the Economic Times citing industry sources. The sources said that Qualcomm is in an advanced stage of discussions with the local operator to sell its BWA licences in four regional circles. The value of the deal is likely to be around USD 1.2-1.3 billion, with a premium of 25-30 percent. Qualcomm has BWA licences in the four circles of Mumbai, Delhi, Kerala and Haryana, for which it paid USD 1.05 billion last year. Qualcomm expects a commitment from the operator that it will use its LTE TDD technology, according to the report. Qualcomm refused to confirm the story but in an e-mail statement said that Qualcomm has publicly stated that it will work with 3G operators to develop the 3G+LTE ecosystem, commercially deploy LTE TDD in the BWA spectrum, and then exit its India LTE venture. Consistent with those goals, discussions with 3G operators in India on LTE TDD commercialisation and commercial discussions related to Qualcomm's BWA spectrum are ongoing, the company said. These discussions are however confidential and Qualcomm would not comment on speculation regarding specifics. The paper earlier reported that in addition to Bharti airtel, Aircel was in talks with Qualcomm to buy its wireless broadband business. Earlier, Bharti airtel had shown interest for Delhi and Haryana, while Aircel was interested in the Mumbai and Kerala circles. The paper's sources said that Aircel has walked out of the deal because of various issues. Qualcomm India has Global Holding and Tulip Telecom as its India partners, each holding about 13 percent stake in the company. Both companies will also sell their stake, if Bharti Airtel is successful in buying the BWA licences.
