Amazon in talks to invest $2 billion in Bharti Airtel: Sources

Amazon is in early-stage talks to buy a stake worth at least $2 billion in Bharti AirtelNSE -0.46 %, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, underscoring the growing attraction of India’s digital economy for US tech giants.

The planned investment, if completed, would mean Amazon acquiring a roughly 5% stake based on the current market value of Airtel, India’s third-largest telco with more than 300 million subscribers.

The discussions between Amazon and Bharti come at a time when global players are placing major bets on the digital arm of Reliance IndustriesNSE 0.76 %, which owns Bharti’s telecom rival Jio.

Reliance’s digital unit has raised $10 billion in recent weeks from Facebook, KKR and others.