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Following the cancellation of Uninor's licences, Unitech and Telenor were involved in a dispute over control of Uninor. In October 2012, the two companies signed an agreement under which Unitech transferred Uninor assets to Telenor and exited the joint venture. Telenor subsequently formed Telewings Communications Services Private Limited, a joint venture with Lakshdeep Investments & Finance. Telenor held a 49% stake in Telewings. In December 2013, Telenor raised its stake in the company to 74%.<ref>http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/telenor-invests-rs-1000-cr-to-raise-stake-in-telewings-to-74/article5508438.ece</ref> | Following the cancellation of Uninor's licences, Unitech and Telenor were involved in a dispute over control of Uninor. In October 2012, the two companies signed an agreement under which Unitech transferred Uninor assets to Telenor and exited the joint venture. Telenor subsequently formed Telewings Communications Services Private Limited, a joint venture with Lakshdeep Investments & Finance. Telenor held a 49% stake in Telewings. In December 2013, Telenor raised its stake in the company to 74%.<ref>http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/info-tech/telenor-invests-rs-1000-cr-to-raise-stake-in-telewings-to-74/article5508438.ece</ref> | ||
In 2014, Telenor Group raised its stake to control 100% of Telewings, and the company became a wholly owned subsidiary. On 23 September 2015, Uninor announced it has re-branded itself as Telenor India.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://gadgets.ndtv.com/telecom/news/uninor-changes-name-to-telenor-expands-call-drop-refund-plan-743544 | title=Uninor Changes Name to Telenor, Expands Call Drop Refund Plan | publisher=NDTV | date=23 September 2015 | access-date=13 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="hind1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/uninor-rebrands-itself-as-telenor-in-india/article7681401.ece|title=Uninor re-brands itself as Telenor in India|access-date=23 September 2015| | In 2014, Telenor Group raised its stake to control 100% of Telewings, and the company became a wholly owned subsidiary. On 23 September 2015, Uninor announced it has re-branded itself as Telenor India.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://gadgets.ndtv.com/telecom/news/uninor-changes-name-to-telenor-expands-call-drop-refund-plan-743544 | title=Uninor Changes Name to Telenor, Expands Call Drop Refund Plan | publisher=NDTV | date=23 September 2015 | access-date=13 February 2018}}</ref><ref name="hind1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/uninor-rebrands-itself-as-telenor-in-india/article7681401.ece|title=Uninor re-brands itself as Telenor in India|access-date=23 September 2015|work=The Hindu}}</ref> The Telenor Group spent {{INR}}100 crore on the re-branding exercise. The logotype, font and the visual expression follows that of the Telenor Group. Telenor India CEO Vivek Sood also stated that the company had broken even within four years of operations.<ref name="hind1"/> Telewings Communications Services Private Limited was subsequently renamed Telenor (India) Communications Private Limited.<ref>{{cite web|title=Terms and Conditions|url=https://www.telenor.in/p/term-condition|website=www.telenor.in|access-date=24 February 2017}}</ref> | ||
===Sale to Bharti Airtel=== | ===Sale to Bharti Airtel=== | ||
On 2 January 2017, ''[[The Economic Times]]'' reported that [[Bharti Airtel]] had entered into discussions with Telenor India to acquire the latter.<ref>{{cite web |title=Airtel in advanced talks with Telenor to buy its India business|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/airtel-in-advance-talks-with-telenor-to-buy-its-india-business/articleshow/56302830.cms|website=The Economic Times|access-date=13 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bharti Airtel in talks with Telenor to buy India business for $350 million: ET Now|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/56292228.cms|website=The Economic Times|access-date=13 February 2017}}</ref> On 23 February 2017, Airtel announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement with Telenor South Asia Investments Pte Ltd to acquire Telenor (India) Communications Pvt. Ltd. As part of the deal, Airtel will acquire Telenor India's assets and customers in all seven telecom circles that the latter operates in - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West) and Assam. Airtel will gain 43.4 MHz spectrum in the 1800 MHz band from the Telenor acquisition.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Raj|first1=Amrit|title=Airtel buys Telenor India amid battle with Reliance Jio|url=http://www.livemint.com/Industry/67gRgc87zTripp7wjsDorJ/Airtel-to-buy-Telenor-operations-in-seven-circles.html|website=Mint|access-date=23 February 2017|date=23 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Telenor exits India as Airtel acquires local arm to fight Reliance Jio|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/telenor-exits-india-as-airtel-acquires-its-operations/story-Lt5i5JDUafAnLvAfm6GdHP.html|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=23 February 2017|language=en|date=23 February 2017}}</ref> In June 2017, Bharti Airtel received regulatory approval from [[Competition Commission of India|CCI]], [[Securities and Exchange Board of India|SEBI]] and the stock exchanges.<ref>http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/cci-approves-airtel-telenor-merger/59013263</ref> The deal was approved by the [[National Company Law Tribunal]] (NCLT) in August 2017.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reporters|first1=B. S.|title=NCLT approves Airtel-Telenor merger|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/nclt-approves-airtel-telenor-merger-117080300038_1.html|website=Business Standard India|access-date=18 November 2017|date=3 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Airtel and Telenor receive NCLT nod for proposed merger - ET Telecom|url=https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/airtel-and-telenor-receive-nclt-nod-for-proposed-merger/59892811|website=ETTelecom.com|access-date=18 November 2017|language=en}}</ref> | On 2 January 2017, ''[[The Economic Times]]'' reported that [[Bharti Airtel]] had entered into discussions with Telenor India to acquire the latter.<ref>{{cite web |title=Airtel in advanced talks with Telenor to buy its India business|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/airtel-in-advance-talks-with-telenor-to-buy-its-india-business/articleshow/56302830.cms|website=The Economic Times|access-date=13 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bharti Airtel in talks with Telenor to buy India business for $350 million: ET Now|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/56292228.cms|website=The Economic Times|access-date=13 February 2017}}</ref> On 23 February 2017, Airtel announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement with Telenor South Asia Investments Pte Ltd to acquire Telenor (India) Communications Pvt. Ltd. As part of the deal, Airtel will acquire Telenor India's assets and customers in all seven telecom circles that the latter operates in - Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West) and Assam. Airtel will gain 43.4 MHz spectrum in the 1800 MHz band from the Telenor acquisition.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Raj|first1=Amrit|title=Airtel buys Telenor India amid battle with Reliance Jio|url=http://www.livemint.com/Industry/67gRgc87zTripp7wjsDorJ/Airtel-to-buy-Telenor-operations-in-seven-circles.html|website=Mint|access-date=23 February 2017|date=23 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Telenor exits India as Airtel acquires local arm to fight Reliance Jio|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/telenor-exits-india-as-airtel-acquires-its-operations/story-Lt5i5JDUafAnLvAfm6GdHP.html|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=23 February 2017|language=en|date=23 February 2017}}</ref> In June 2017, Bharti Airtel received regulatory approval from [[Competition Commission of India|CCI]], [[Securities and Exchange Board of India|SEBI]] and the stock exchanges.<ref>http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/cci-approves-airtel-telenor-merger/59013263</ref> The deal was approved by the [[National Company Law Tribunal]] (NCLT) in August 2017.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reporters|first1=B. S.|title=NCLT approves Airtel-Telenor merger|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/nclt-approves-airtel-telenor-merger-117080300038_1.html|website=Business Standard India|access-date=18 November 2017|date=3 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Airtel and Telenor receive NCLT nod for proposed merger - ET Telecom|url=https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/airtel-and-telenor-receive-nclt-nod-for-proposed-merger/59892811|website=ETTelecom.com|access-date=18 November 2017|language=en}}</ref> | ||
On 21 September 2017, Airtel received its shareholders approval for acquisition of Telenor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bharti Airtel Gets | On 21 September 2017, Airtel received its shareholders approval for acquisition of Telenor.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bharti Airtel Gets Shareholders' Nod For Telenor Merger|url=https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/2017/09/21/bharti-airtel-gets-shareholders-nod-for-telenor-merger|website=Bloomberg Quint|access-date=18 November 2017|language=en}}</ref> NCLT approved the merger in March 2018.<ref>http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/airtel-gets-shareholders-nod-for-amalgamation-with-telenor-2394273.html</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=NCLT clears Bharti Airtel's buyout of Telenor|url=https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/nclt-clears-bharti-airtels-buyout-of-telenor/63220929|access-date=23 April 2018|work=[[The Economic Times]]|date=8 March 2018}}</ref> Airtel plans to retain around 4,000 of Telenor India and Tata Teleservices employees.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sengupta|first1=Devina|title=Airtel to keep 4,000 Telenor, Tata Tele staff post merger|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/page-16-airtel-to-keep-4000-telenor-tata-tele-staff-post-merger/articleshow/62612182.cms|access-date=23 April 2018|work=[[The Economic Times]]|date=23 January 2018}}</ref> Supreme Court allowed sale to Airtel by dismissing telecom department's order to Airtel to furnish a bank guarantee.<ref>{{cite web|title=SC paves way for Airtel to buy Telenor India|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/sc-paves-way-for-airtel-to-buy-telenor-india/articleshow/64097415.cms}}</ref> | ||
[[Department of Telecommunications|Department of Telecom]] approved the merger of Telenor India with Bharti Airtel on 14 May 2018 paving the way for final commercial closing of the merger between the two companies.<ref>https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/dot-approves-merger-of-bharti-airtel-and-telenor-india/articleshow/64157286.cms</ref> | [[Department of Telecommunications|Department of Telecom]] approved the merger of Telenor India with Bharti Airtel on 14 May 2018 paving the way for final commercial closing of the merger between the two companies.<ref>https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/dot-approves-merger-of-bharti-airtel-and-telenor-india/articleshow/64157286.cms</ref> | ||
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===4G launch=== | ===4G launch=== | ||
In February 2016, Telenor launched 4G services in the city of [[Varanasi]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Norwegian telecom firm Telenor to launch 4G in India within 6 months|url=http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/norwegian-telecom-firm-telenor-to-launch-4g-in-india-within-6-months-301294.html|website=Firstpost|access-date=12 September 2016|date=25 February 2016}}</ref> The company deployed [[NarrowBand IOT|narrow-band]] LTE on 1800 MHz spectrum. The network is the world's first commercial lean GSM network. Lean GSM is a technology developed by [[Huawei]] that compresses data to improve the efficiency of spectrum. Telenor refarmed 1.4 MHz of its 2G voice spectrum for data, maintaining the same voice quality while utilizing less spectrum.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reporter|first1=B. S.|title=Telenor to roll out 4G in 55 cities using lean GSM tech|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/telenor-to-roll-out-4g-in-55-cities-using-lean-gsm-tech-116040800311_1.html|website=Business Standard|access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Telenor narrow-band LTE goes live in Varanasi city, offers ultra-affordable data packs {{!}} ET Telecom|url=http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/telenor-narrow-band-lte-goes-live-in-varanasi-city-offers-ultra-affordable-data-packs/51404522|website=ETTelecom.com|access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Telenor India and Huawei Commercialize | In February 2016, Telenor launched 4G services in the city of [[Varanasi]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Norwegian telecom firm Telenor to launch 4G in India within 6 months|url=http://tech.firstpost.com/news-analysis/norwegian-telecom-firm-telenor-to-launch-4g-in-india-within-6-months-301294.html|website=Firstpost|access-date=12 September 2016|date=25 February 2016}}</ref> The company deployed [[NarrowBand IOT|narrow-band]] LTE on 1800 MHz spectrum. The network is the world's first commercial lean GSM network. Lean GSM is a technology developed by [[Huawei]] that compresses data to improve the efficiency of spectrum. Telenor refarmed 1.4 MHz of its 2G voice spectrum for data, maintaining the same voice quality while utilizing less spectrum.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Reporter|first1=B. S.|title=Telenor to roll out 4G in 55 cities using lean GSM tech|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/telenor-to-roll-out-4g-in-55-cities-using-lean-gsm-tech-116040800311_1.html|website=Business Standard|access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Telenor narrow-band LTE goes live in Varanasi city, offers ultra-affordable data packs {{!}} ET Telecom|url=http://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/telenor-narrow-band-lte-goes-live-in-varanasi-city-offers-ultra-affordable-data-packs/51404522|website=ETTelecom.com|access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Telenor India and Huawei Commercialize World's First Lean GSM Solution-huawei press center|url=http://www.huawei.com/en/news/2016/2/World-First-Lean-GSM-Solution|website=huawei|access-date=12 September 2016}}</ref> | ||
===Discontinued operations=== | ===Discontinued operations=== | ||
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[[Telenor]] Group on 21 February 2012 also announced its intention to form a new entity in India with which its Indian operations will be taken forward. This new entity will serve as the platform to approach the upcoming auctions for fresh licenses as mandated by the Supreme Court. The new entity will also seek requisite approvals from the FIPB to allow Telenor Group to take up 74% ownership.<ref>[http://www.telenor.com/en/news-and-media/press-releases/2012/telenor-group-seeks-indemnities-from-unitech-limited-as-it-gets-ready-for-a-new-future-in-india Telenor Group seeks indemnities from Unitech Limited as it gets ready for a new future in India - Telenor Group]. Telenor.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-28.</ref> | [[Telenor]] Group on 21 February 2012 also announced its intention to form a new entity in India with which its Indian operations will be taken forward. This new entity will serve as the platform to approach the upcoming auctions for fresh licenses as mandated by the Supreme Court. The new entity will also seek requisite approvals from the FIPB to allow Telenor Group to take up 74% ownership.<ref>[http://www.telenor.com/en/news-and-media/press-releases/2012/telenor-group-seeks-indemnities-from-unitech-limited-as-it-gets-ready-for-a-new-future-in-india Telenor Group seeks indemnities from Unitech Limited as it gets ready for a new future in India - Telenor Group]. Telenor.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-28.</ref> | ||
Uninor on 1 August 2012 said it would auction all of its telecom business before it becomes non-operational on 7 September, the deadline set by the apex court for winding up of operations of all the firms whose licences had been cancelled. The move was strongly opposed by the firm's minority stakeholder Unitech and it threatened to initiate legal action, if Uninor goes ahead with the auction.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/SectorsInfotech/Uninor-plans-to-auction-telecom-business-Unitech-opposes/Article1-906408.aspx| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120802033243/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/SectorsInfotech/Uninor-plans-to-auction-telecom-business-Unitech-opposes/Article1-906408.aspx| url-status= dead| archive-date= 2 August 2012|title= Uninor plans to auction telecom business; Unitech opposes| date= 1 August 2012}}</ref> Telenor in August 2012 said it would buy out Unitech Wireless for "{{INR}}4,190 [[crore]]", if there are no bidders for the Indian mobile phone operator's assets.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/telenor-to-buy-unitech-wireless-for-rs-4190-crore-if-no-bidders-found/articleshow/15317999.cms|title=Telenor to buy Unitech Wireless for Rs 4,190 crore if no bidders found | date= 2 August 2012}}</ref> A settlement between the parties was made in October 2012 with Unitech Ltd. committing to | Uninor on 1 August 2012 said it would auction all of its telecom business before it becomes non-operational on 7 September, the deadline set by the apex court for winding up of operations of all the firms whose licences had been cancelled. The move was strongly opposed by the firm's minority stakeholder Unitech and it threatened to initiate legal action, if Uninor goes ahead with the auction.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/SectorsInfotech/Uninor-plans-to-auction-telecom-business-Unitech-opposes/Article1-906408.aspx| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120802033243/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/SectorsInfotech/Uninor-plans-to-auction-telecom-business-Unitech-opposes/Article1-906408.aspx| url-status= dead| archive-date= 2 August 2012|title= Uninor plans to auction telecom business; Unitech opposes| date= 1 August 2012}}</ref> Telenor in August 2012 said it would buy out Unitech Wireless for "{{INR}}4,190 [[crore]]", if there are no bidders for the Indian mobile phone operator's assets.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/telenor-to-buy-unitech-wireless-for-rs-4190-crore-if-no-bidders-found/articleshow/15317999.cms|title=Telenor to buy Unitech Wireless for Rs 4,190 crore if no bidders found | date= 2 August 2012}}</ref> A settlement between the parties was made in October 2012 with Unitech Ltd. committing to dispose of all its shares in Unitech Wireless,<ref>[http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-10-11/news/34387272_1_uninor-brand-uninor-board-unitech-and-telenor Unitech reaches settlement on Uninor JV with Telenor - Economic Times]. Articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com. Retrieved on 2013-07-28.</ref> which lead to the rebranding of the company as "Telenor India" in September 2015. | ||
==Awards and recognition== | ==Awards and recognition== | ||