Batelco, Bahrain’s leading telecom provider, expects its Indian mobile phone affiliate S Tel to start operations in the fourth quarter.

“We have been working very closely with our partners and we are looking forward to the launch of full services from S Tel during Quarter 4 this year,” said Batelco Group CEO Peter Kaliaropoulos in a statement.

“We are working tirelessly to meet our commitments to ensure the success of this venture, the first for Batelco outside of the GCC and Middle East region,” he added.

Batelco has completed the second phase of its deal by investing a further $38.8 million to bring its current shareholding in S Tel Limited to 42.7 per cent, it said.

Previously on May 10, Batelco chairman Shaikh Hamad bin Abdulla Al-Khalifa announced that Batelco had completed the necessary formalities to finalise the acquisition of a 36.69 per cent shareholding in S Tel.

S Tel has licenses to operate in six Indian states – Bihar, Orissa, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), Himachal Pradesh, North East and Assam (NESA). S Tel was established to gain entry into the rapidly growing mobile markets of North East and North West India. With the population in these areas around the 230 million mark and mobile penetration less than 20 per cent, S Tel aspires to grow rapidly, in response to the needs of these largely untapped areas, by focusing on delivering innovation and value, the statement said.

Kaliaropoulos stated that the investment in S Tel will provide significant growth opportunities for Batelco in the expanding Indian market, the third largest and fastest growing mobile market in the world, where mobile penetration is currently growing at more than 11 million subscribers a month.
S Tel’s CEO Shamik Das stated that with Batelco's backing and experience in many telecommunications environments and Sterling Group's (Batelco’s joint venture partners in S Tel) experience of running successful telecom operations in the 'low realisation per minute' Indian market, S Tel is all set to contribute in a big way to enhancing India's teledensity.”

Kaliaropoulos said Batelco plans to continue its regional expansion drive through targeted acquisitions of other operators and licences in MEA, India and Asia Pacific, while maintaining its market leadership in Bahrain, striving always to deliver better value and innovation for its customers and supporting many community and humanitarian initiatives in Bahrain.

Batelco, the leading integrated telecommunications company in Bahrain, with the addition of the India shareholding, now has operations in seven markets across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. –TradeArabia News Service