It must be a coincidence, but the location of Sunil Bharti Mittal’s new corporate headquarters in New Delhi – 1 Nelson Mandela Road – seems surprisingly apt.

Bharti Airtel, Mr Mittal’s mobile operator, is deep in merger talks with South Africa’s MTN , which the two sides revived in April, a year after a first set of negotiations broke down. An exclusivity period for the talks is due to expire on Friday, leading to market speculation over whether the two parties will reach a deal or extend their negotiations.