Airtel Could Increase Stake in BT

Bharti Airtel, a large telecom operator in India, is looking to increase its stake in British Telecom (BT) Group. The telecom operator currently owns 24.5% stake in BT Group, and is looking to expand its stake to just under 30%. As per a Reuters report, the telco is looking to get its shareholding in BT Group to 29.9%. This could be a part of the corporate restructuring that Airtel intends to do. Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of the Bharti Enterprises also recently said that Airtel wants to get more control of its assets and companies to simplify operations.

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Key Highlights

  • Bharti Airtel is reportedly planning to increase its stake in BT Group from 24.5% to 29.9%.
  • According to reports, Airtel may acquire the additional stake from Altice founder Patrick Drahi.
  • The move aligns with Sunil Bharti Mittal’s broader strategy of gaining stronger control over group assets and simplifying operations.
  • Airtel’s growing international ambitions are becoming clearer as the company already has a major presence in Africa through Airtel Africa and also owns Eutelsat OneWeb.
  • Any increase in stake will likely require approval from the United Kingdom government before the transaction can move forward.

What’s worth noting is that Airtel in 2024 acquired an additional 10% stake in BT Group in 2024. This took the shareholding of Airtel in BT Group to 24.5%. With more stake, potentially reaching close to 30%, Airtel, in the future could acquire further stake in the company for a full takeover. The telecom operator is already a huge presence in Africa with Airtel Africa.