Micromax to buy Beetel?

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Has Beetel (Bharti Teletech), a Bharti Airtel enterprise, finally got a suitor? Maybe. At least that's what rumours point to. The company, that has been suffering a decline in market share as per industry sources, is likely to be purchased by Micromax that recently forayed into consumer electronics.

The unconfirmed market reports suggest that Micromax Informatics has quoted a price to which Beetel is yet to revert. Talking to CIOL, Micromax business head Vikas Jain denied it as a speculation. "Right now no such (deal) thing is happening. We'll come back to you (press), if it happens," added Jain.

Bangalore-based telecom analyst Deepak Kumar feels that a fair-priced deal would be positive for India's burgeoning company Micromax. "In Micromax-Beetel deal, nothing but price matters the most," he said. Beetel, Kumar said, is an old brand with its own set of capabilities and clientele.

Micromax MD Rajesh Agarwal, despite reminders, didn't revert to CIOL query. Till the time of filing this story, owing to intense meeting schedule, Beetel ED and CEO Mohit Parasher could not be contacted.

Micromax is the 12th largest handset manufacturer in the world and 3rd largest manufacturer in India.