Hutchison asks for India unit bids by Fri - report

Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd. has "formally" asked bidders for Indian mobile firm Hutchison Essar to submit their offers by Friday, the Business Standard said on Thursday.

Britain's Vodafone Group Plc, India's Reliance Communications Ltd., the Essar group and the Hinduja group are expected to submit their bids "only on the last day", the newspaper said, citing sources close to the development.

Hutchison has not fixed a base price for the bidders, the paper said.

A spokesman for Hutchison Telecom declined comment.

Hutchison Telecom, controlled by Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa, holds 67 percent in the fourth-biggest mobile operator in India. India's Essar group holds the remainder.

On Wednesday, the Hindustan Times newspaper said Hutchison Telecom may sell its stake through an open auction with a minimum reserve price of about $14 billion.

Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that India's Hinduja group was teaming up with Qatar Telecom in its bid for Hutchison Essar. It cited people familiar with the situation.

A Hinduja official declined comment.

India, the world's fastest-growing major mobile market, adds about 6 million users a month with call rates as low as 1 or 2 U.S. cents a minute.