Bharti’s BT Group deal could open doors for the ‘real East India Company’ to flourish

Bharti Airtel and BT have had a synergistic relationship for over two decades. The latter owned 21% stake along with two board seats in Bharti Airtel from 1997 to 2001. During the last two decades, the Sunil Mittal-led Indian telecom giant has surged ahead, reaching a market capitalisation of Rs8.26 lakh cr.

Bharti Enterprises acquiring 24.51% stake in BT this week for $4 bn now makes it one the biggest outbound deals by an Indian company. BT is Britain’s biggest broadband and mobile company with a market cap of £13.8 bn (about Rs1.48 lakh cr).