Indian operator Tata Teleservices is to consider overseas acquisitions amid plans to spend close to US$2 billion on expanding its domestic CDMA and GSM networks. “We will absolutely look at foreign acquisitions,” said managing director Anil Sardana, according to a Dow Jones Newswires report, cited by Cellular News. “There has to be inorganic growth also, perhaps even acquiring an Indian company.” Sardana did not provide specific details. The Dow Jones report notes that the company could see its first overseas foray by partnering Tata Communications Ltd., another Tata Group company formerly known as Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd., which offers wireline services in South Africa, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Tata Teleservices is one arm of Indian conglomerate Tata Group. According to Wireless Intelligence, Tata Teleservices had 24.3 million customers at the end of Q1 this year, all on CDMA networks. The company is reportedly planning to spend INR20 billion (US$476 million) on upgrading its CDMA networks within the next two years, with the remaining INR60 billion (US$1.4 billion) to be spent on deploying its newly-acquired GSM networks. “We will rollout GSM services by the end of this fiscal year [which ends March 31, 2009],” added Sardana. “We have got GSM license for all over India but spectrum for six circles. We have also ordered equipment.” The Dow Jones report claims that that the company is targeting a total subscriber base of 100 million by 2011, 45 million of which will be GSM users. Tata has previously announced plans for a WiMAX network covering 15 cities by 2009 and earlier this year announced a reseller agreement with Virgin Mobile.