American Tower Corp to buy stake in Viom Networks
Q. ATC is set to collaborate with which telecom company to create the second-largest Indian mobile mast operator by number of towers?- Published on 23 Oct 15a. Viom
b. AT&T
c. Vodafone
d. Airtel
ANSWER: Viom
American Tower Corp has agreed to purchase 51 percent controlling stake in Indian mobile mast company Viom Networks for INR 7600 or USD 1.17 billion for expansion. India is the world’s second largest telecommunications market by number of users. ATC will combine 14,000 communication towers with Viom’s 42,200 creating the second largest Indian mobile mast operator as per number of towers. India’s mobile phone carriers are concentrating on spreading 3G and 4G broadband networks where two thirds of the population is under 35 and income levels are expanding fast. Currently, Indus Towers a JV of three top mobile phone carrier companies in India is India’s biggest telecom tower company with close to 100,000 towers. While Credit Suisse advised Viom networks for the deal, Kotak Investment Banking and Evercore advised ATC.
