Vodafone officials meet DoT Secy, talk FDI

British telecom giant Vodafone's representatives today held talks with senior government officials on the latest position on FDI norms in the telecom sector.

Senior Vodafone officials met Telecom Secretary Dinesh Mathur and made a presentation about the company's plans in the country, official sources said, but denied that issues related to acquisition of Hutch Essar were discussed.

Vodafone, which has about 10% stake in Bharti Airtel, wanted to know the latest position of the government on foreign investment.

"The topic of Hutch Essar was not even touched. They enquired about the recently-announced vision statement of the ministry, and wanted to know the strategy of implementation," the sources said.

However, the meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of Vodafone's interest in acquiring Hutch-Essar, and the delay in finalising the FDI guidelines that will clarify the status of foreign players.

The government has extended the date for meeting the revised FDI norms till April 2, 2007 to reach a consensus with intelligence agencies on the crucial remote access issue although there has been a broad approval for allowing foreign CEOs and CFOs in telecom companies.