Norway-based telco Telenor is looking to merge its India operations with Reliance Communications, reports ET, citing un-named sources. Telenor was in talks with RCOM for a possible merger of its customer base, spectrum holdings, and the entire business unit with Aircel-Rcom merged entity. According to the report, Telenor’s proposal included a 10% stake in the merged entity, with Aircel and RCOM owning 45% each in the joint venture. A spokesperson from Telenor told MediaNama: "As a general principle Telenor does not comment on market rumors and speculations." RCOM did not respond to our query yet. Note that Telenor was reportedly in talks with Airtel for a $350 million merger earlier this month. Airtel was looking to acquire half of Telenor India’s liabilities, while Telenor was looking to hold the remaining half. Both companies did not comment on the reports when MediaNama wrote to them. However, the speculated Telenor-RCOM merger is of a different nature. The Aircel-RCom merger which is worth Rs 65,000 crore (~$9.7 billion) could be in jeopardy due to Aircel promoter Maxis Berhad’s role in the infamous 2G scam. This month, the Supreme Court ordered Maxis, which owns 74% stake in the company to attend a lower court for proceedings; it added that Aircel’s 2G spectrum in 14 circles could be withdrawn if the promoters don’t show up. It’s unlikely that Reliance might call off the Aircel-RCOM merger since Aircel’s 2G spectrum is at stake with the SC judgment, its 3G spectrum allocated to it via auctions will remain…
