Zain will no longer be Zain: Rajan Mittal

A day after sealing the $10.7-billion (Rs48,075 crore) deal with Kuwait-based Mobile Telecommunications Co for Zain's African operations – the largest overseas deal by an Indian firm – Bharati Airtel Ltd joint managing director Rajan Mittal said the company would definitely change the brand-name for its operations.

"The brand will change - that is a given, timing is something that I cannot give you," Mittal, who is also president of trade body FICCI, told reporters when asked when the brand in Africa would undergo a change.

Bharti Airtel on Wednesday finalised the deal to buy the African operations of Kuwait's Zain Telecom in 15 nations and paid an upfront $8.3 billion. Bharti would pay another $700 million after a year, besides taking a loan liability of $1.7 billion on its books.

"The deal was signed only last night. Now we will seek regulatory nod wherever it is required. We will also implement the same business model there (in Africa) as in India," Mittal said.

The company believes that growth in the mobile telephony in the African continent is bound to happen and Mittal said the Indian model would be helpful.

Asked what were the main challenges, Mittal said, "We have just signed the deal ... we are in the process of putting things together. We know the best practices, and we understand the hierarchy and the Bharti's way of working. We understand the business model, so we will go and explore that model and I am sure that growth potential is there ... so allow us some time to go and get it. As far as brand is concerned it will change over a period of time," he added.