UK Govt approves Bharti Global’s BT 24.5% stake acquisition

Bharti’s acquisition of a £ 3.2 bn stake in BT approved by the UK

The British government has approved Bharti Global‘s acquisition of a 24.5 percent stake in BT following a detailed national security assessment of the process since the Indian multinational and British telecom major announced the deal back in August. The purchase of the shares, worth 3.2 billion pounds, was made from the previous top investor, Patrick Drahi‘s Altice, under the terms set out by Bharti Global – the investment arm of Indian conglomerate Bharti Enterprises – in August.

The Cabinet Office said its decision comes into force on Monday after an assurance that BT would set up a National Security Committee to oversee strategic work. The order noted that Bharti Televentures UK Limited acquired 24.5 percent of the issued share capital of BT — 9.99 percent on August 12, 2024, and 14.51 percent on November 18, 2024.

“Following a detailed national security assessment, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has made a Final Order pursuant to section 26 of the National Security and Investment Act 2021, which comes into force on 16 December 2024,” the Cabinet Office said in a statement.

“The acquisition is a trigger event under section 8(8) of the Act. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has approved the acquisition, on the basis that BT will establish a National Security Committee within BT to oversee strategic work that BT performs which has an impact on or is in respect of the national security of the United Kingdom,” it said.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, which refers to Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden, stated that the final order is “necessary and proportionate” as it mitigates the risk to national security in relation to BT’s role in supporting the UK government’s domestic and international initiatives in the telecommunications sector; ensuring the UK’s cyber security; and acting as a strategic supplier of services to many parts of the UK government, including services which are in support of UK national security.

Back in August, Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal had described his company’s investment in an “iconic” British telecom company as a “significant milestone” for Bharti Enterprises. The group said it hopes the investment will further help create new synergies in the telecom sector between India and the UK in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G R&D and core engineering among others, “offering great potential to collaborate on industry best practices and emerging technologies”

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