Voda may have to sell $1bn Bharti stake under licence rules

Vodafone Group may be forced to sell its 4.4 percent stake in India's top telecom services provider Bharti Airtel - worth about USD 1 billion - after rules published on Friday outlawed crossholdings in rival telecom companies.

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Under the rules, no carrier can own a direct or indirect equity stake in another operating in the same of any of India's 22 telecom service areas. Bharti and Vodafone provide services in all of them.

The telecoms ministry's new licensing rules also say that no stakeholder other than the government, banks and financial institutions, which owns 10 percent or more in a carrier will be allowed to own a stake in any other carrier.

Companies must comply with the rules within a year from the date of grant of new licences, the ministry said. Applications for the licences may take months to process.

Vodafone, which owns a majority stake in Vodafone India - India's No. 2 phone carrier, has owned its Bharti stake for years. At Bharti's stock price of about Rs 345, the stake is worth roughly USD 1 billion.

Bharti declined to comment and Vodafone did not reply to an email seeking comment.