Bharti Airtel, the Indian mobile service provider, is in talks to acquire Telkom Kenya a year after the two telcos unsuccesfully attempted a merger, according to reports by Reuters.
The merger is expected to form a strong network against Safaricom since Airtel is currently Kenya’s second-biggest telecoms operator followed by Telkom.
“Airtel is in the driving seat. They are leading the talks. Helios is partially cashing out,” one of the sources said.
The sources added that the deal is expected to be finalised by the end of this quarter.
Communications Authority of Kenya said that it had not been notified of the merger plan while Telkom Kenya and Airtel were not available for comment on the same.
Unconfirmed reports indicate that Sunil Mittal, Bharti Airtel Chairman, is in the country to firm up the deal.
