The deal of the year announced earlier as a sign of the thriving UK-India technology partnership got the official go-ahead this week.
The UK government approved Bharti Global’s acquisition of a 24.5 per cent 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 Cabinet Office said in a statement that its decision comes into force this month after an assurance that BT would set up a National Security Committee to oversee strategic work. The order notes that Bharti Televentures UK Limited acquired 24.5 per cent of the issued share capital of BT – 9.99 per cent on 12 August 2024 and 14.51 per cent on 18 November 2024.
The Cabinet Office said: “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 (“the Act”), which comes into force on 16 December 2024.
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“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.”
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, 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.
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Back in August, Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal had described his company’s investment in an “iconic” British 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 UK in the areas of AI and 5G R&D and core engineering among others, "offering great potential to collaborate on industry best practices and emerging technologies".