British telecom giant, Vodafone PLC has beaten RCL, Hindujas TMT and the Essar Group to emerge as the top bidder for Hutchison Telecom International Limited’s (HTIL’s) 67 per cent stake in Hutchison Essar Limited (HEL), the joint venture between the

British telecom giant, Vodafone PLC has beaten RCL, Hindujas TMT and the Essar Group to emerge as the top bidder for Hutchison Telecom International Limited’s (HTIL’s) 67 per cent stake in Hutchison Essar Limited (HEL), the joint venture between the Essar Group and HTIL. Vodafone bid $19.3 billion for 100 per cent of HEL. Soon after it was announced the winner, Vodafone claimed that it was ready to partner with the Essar Group. In response, the Essar group stated: “We are evaluating all our options in the best interests of the group.” Meanwhile, Vodafone, which has 10 per cent stake in the Bharti Group, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Bharti Airtel in various areas including infrastructure sharing, roaming and long distance services. Vodafone has promised 50 per cent of its inbound international roaming traffic to Bharti Airtel for three years.