( MENAFN - Asia Times) Indian telecom major Bharti Airtel, which is locked in a battle for subscribers with new entrant Reliance Jio and the newly merged company Vodafone-Idea in a price-sensitive market, is reportedly in talks with Japanese investment giant SoftBank to carry out its expansion plans and pare debt. SoftBank is holding preliminary talks with Bharti Airtel for picking up a stake in its telecom business and related assets,Business Standardreports, quoting unnamed sources. The talks are wide-ranging and could include buying a stake in Bharti Airtel directly or through the holding company, the daily added. In the recent June quarter, Bharti Airtel had posted its first-ever quarterly loss in 14 years and its debt stood at 1.16 trillion rupees (US$ 16.34 billion). However, its average monthly revenue per user rose to 129 rupees, which was higher than the rates of its competitors Jio (122 rupees) and Vodafone Idea (108 rupees).