Bharti Airtel Thursday announced it will merge its mobile business operations with that of Tata Teleservices. As per a release on the exchanges, Bharti Airtel will absorb Tata's consumer mobile business in 19 circles (17 under TTSL and two under Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Limited) and the merger is being done on debt-free, cash-free basis. Of it's total Rs 10,000-crore liability towards spectrum payment to the DoT, 80 percent will be paid by Tata Tele, according to CNBC-TV18. Airtel will, therefore, assume a small portion, estimated around Rs 1,500-2,000 crore, of the unpaid spectrum liability of Tata Teleservices. Industry experts say the sum is limited considering Tata Tele had not aggressively participated in the last spectrum auction. The deal will bolster Airtel’s spectrum pool with additional spectrum in the 1,800, 2,100 and 850 MHz bands, all widely used for 4G. “The acquisition of additional spectrum made an attractive business proposition. It will further s...