CEOAFRICA Business News correspondent has gathered from New Delhi, the capital city of India, a report which indicated that Bharti Airtel Ltd., India's largest telecommunications company, has agreed to buy the Warid Group's telecom operations in Uganda. According to the report culled from The Wall Street Journal, a Bharti statement didn't say how much it will pay for Warid Telecom Uganda LLC.

Little insight into the historical facts of the group, according to CEOAFRICA Business News correspondence, with reference to The Wall Street Journal, show that Warid Group is part of the United Arab Emirates-based diversified Abu Dhabi Group. Bharti had in 2010 bought a majority stake in Warid's Bangladesh telecom operations. The group which also has about 32% ownership of Singapore Telecommunications Ltd, entered Africa in June, 2010 by buying the African telecom operations of Mobile Telecommunications co, The Wall Street Journal further explained.

 Bharti said the acquisition will increase its number of subscribers in Uganda to more than 7.4 million and make the company the second-largest telecom operator in the African country with a market share of 39%. Its local unit, Airtel Uganda Ltd., currently has 4.6 million users.

However, Telecom companies in Uganda are also facing regulatory hurdles. This was as a result of the country's Parliament passed rules which include provisions to regulate phone-call tariffs and double the levy that telecom companies need to pay the government for setting up networks in rural areas.

Bharti and other companies in Uganda are negotiating with the government to overturn some of these rules, the Indian company had said earlier this year.

According to CEOAFRICA Business News correspondent,The Wall Street Journal however explained that Bharti's rivals in Uganda include the local operations of South Africa's MTN Group Ltd. and France Telecom's Orange cellular service.