Calcutta, Dec 20 :    Calcutta, Dec 20:  The Birla-Tata-AT&T combine (Batata) has acquired RPG Cellcom, the cell phone provider in Madhya Pradesh, for a sum of $ 113 million (a little over Rs 500 crore). The deal, which is one of the largest in the cellular industry, signals the end of a fierce battle between Batata and Hutchison Max, the country's largest cellular service provider, for the RPG outfit. Confirming the development, a senior RPG official said the final deal was struck last week with Vodafone Airtouch selling its entire 49 per cent stake in RPG Cellcom. A couple of weeks ago, the RPG group had entered into a sale agreement with the Birla-Tata-AT&T for its 51 per cent stake in the company. But the deal could not be clinched at that stage as the acquirers wanted to take over the entire company. It was only after Vodafone decided to sell its 49 per cent stake that the deal was finally sewn up. Rabo Bank, appointed by RPG Cellcom, had organised the transfer of ownership. The official said the enterprise value was estimated at $ 113 million which included a debt portion of $ 23 million. The company is likely to get a new name once the process of transfer is complete. Earlier, the three companies - Hutchison, Birla-Tata-AT&T and BPL Telecom had pitched in to pick up the 51 per cent stake of RPG in the company. Explaining the motive behind the sale, the official said, 'We have decided to sell out our stake in the RPG Cellcom because we don't have any geographical advantage in Madhya Pradesh.' However, RPG Cellcom will continue to be a strong player in Chennai, he added. Vodafone, which is RPG's partner in Chennai circle with 22 per cent share, is reorganising its entire operations in India, he said. For the Chennai cellular service, the RPG group is weighing options to divest part of its holding in the RPG Cellular Services. The Rabo Bank has been given the mandate by the company to find out a buyer for the 17 per cent stake in the Chennai outfit. Sources said the RPG group, which has 68.5 per cent stake in RPG Cellular Services, was planning to dilute its holding over and above 51 per cent. 'After the process of valuation is done, the company will appoint a merchant banker to scout for a suitable partner,' they added. The RPG spokesman said the group might offload part of its stake in the company but it would definitely continue to have the management control. Sources said several companies have evinced interest in RPG Cellular Services because of its 'tremendous' performance. 'The company is already making a profit of Rs 1.5 crore per month before depreciation, which is very encouraging,' they said. It has invested Rs 40 crore and expanded its capacity to handle 75,000 subscribers from 25,000. 'But this is not enough given our growth rate. We are connecting 4,000 subscribers every month,' they added. The company is also planning an investment of another Rs 25 crore to expand the capacity further to 1.1 lakh subscribers. 'We are hopeful that by the end of this financial year, the company will complete its second phase of expansion,' they said. The company also has plans to offer web-enabled services soon. 'We are trying to offer the most modern services to our customers with the help of internet,' he said. The RPG official, however, has clearly stated the company does not plan to tap the capital market at the moment. 'We don't need funds from outside to finance our expansion activities. We will make investment from our internal generation,' he said.