Equity firm Warburg Pincus and telecom company SingTel hold equity stakes in which Indian cellular service provider?

Introduction / Context:
Telecom liberalisation in India attracted both private equity firms and foreign strategic investors. This question refers to two such investors, Warburg Pincus and Singapore Telecom, commonly known as SingTel, and asks which Indian cellular service provider they invested in. Recognising that the company is Bharti TeleVentures, the predecessor of Bharti Airtel, is a useful piece of business awareness.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Warburg Pincus is a private equity firm. - SingTel is a telecom operator from Singapore. - Both hold equity stakes in the same Indian cellular service provider. - The options list several Indian mobile operators.

Concept / Approach:
Bharti TeleVentures, which later became Bharti Airtel, raised capital from both financial investors and strategic partners as it expanded. Warburg Pincus invested as a private equity player, and SingTel took a strategic equity stake, giving it an interest in the Indian telecom market. Other Indian operators such as Hutch, Idea, and Reliance Telecom also had foreign or financial investors but are not associated in GK with this combination of Warburg Pincus and SingTel.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Bharti TeleVentures was one of the earliest and largest private telecom players in India. Step 2: Remember that Warburg Pincus invested heavily in Bharti and that SingTel also acquired a strategic stake in Bharti TeleVentures. Step 3: Hutch, Idea, and Reliance had other foreign partners or investment structures, but Warburg and SingTel together point uniquely to Bharti. Step 4: Therefore match Warburg Pincus and SingTel with Bharti TeleVentures. Step 5: Select Bharti TeleVentures as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
This fact can be verified in business news summaries that describe Bharti's growth and list its major shareholders, including Warburg Pincus and SingTel. Many GK question banks specifically mention this shareholding pattern when describing foreign investment in the Indian telecom sector, reinforcing that Bharti is the correct choice.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Hutch had shareholders such as Hong Kong based Hutchison, and later deals involved other international players, but not this specific Warburg and SingTel combination. Idea Cellular had a different mix of domestic and foreign stakeholders. Reliance Telecom was primarily controlled by the Reliance group and did not feature Warburg Pincus and SingTel in the same way. Thus, these alternatives do not fit the description in the question.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates may misremember the various foreign partners across telecom operators and mix up names such as Hutch and Bharti. Another pitfall is to assume that any foreign sounding investor must be linked with Hutch because of its international branding. Learning the key shareholding relationships, such as Warburg and SingTel with Bharti, helps avoid confusion.

Final Answer:
Warburg Pincus and SingTel hold equity stakes in Bharti TeleVentures (Bharti Airtel).