Bharti Airtel, in which British telecom firm Vodafone has a stake of 10%, is yet to hear the final word from the UK-based operator on its plans to buy out Hutchison Telecom's stake in the Indian joint venture Hutch-Essar."We have not heard from Vodafone on their final position on Hutch-Essar," a Bharti spokesperson said.There is speculation that once Vodafone is through with acquiring Hutchison's stake in India, it would exit Bharti by paying a premium.Bharti's response comes on a day when Vodafone and Essar submitted offers for Hutchsion's stake in Hutch-Essar triggering a bidding war for the Indian mobile operator that is being valued up to $18 billion.A day after the visit of top brasses of both Vodafone and Essar, the British media reported, quoting unnamed sources, that the two suitors have made their respective offers.Essar, the joint venture partner in Hutch-Essar with 33% stake, has offered $11 billion (about Rs 50,000 crore) for the 67% stake of Hutch putting the enterprise value of the JV at $16.5 billion.Vodafone, the world's largest mobile phone operator, has submitted an offer valuing the company at $17-18 billion, Financial Times reported.
