Vodafone is intending to extend its strategy in India by teaming up with other local operators to create a joint venture to operate its networks. Arun Sarin, Vodafone’s CEO, declined to name the carriers involved and told The Wall Street Journal that no deals had yet been signed.
The effort is aimed at reducing the high costs to Vodafone of building the backbone of a mobile network and help reach more people, particularly in rural areas. The move follows plans Vodafone laid out in February to share its network with India’s largest mobile company, Bharti Airtel. The world’s largest operator in terms of revenue is increasingly focusing on India. Earlier this year, it invested US$10.9 billion in operator Hutchinson-Essar – the largest foreign investment in India’s history.