After the battle for Hutch, the telecom sector could be all set for its next big encounter. The buzz is that Sunil Mittal owned Bharti Airtel and Anil Ambani owned Reliance Communications are both eyeing a controlling stake in African telecom major MTN. CNBC-TV18 finds out if there is fire beneath the smoke. It’s been a while since Sunil Mittal wore the hat of Bharti Airtel's CMD in a public forum. And even though the announcement was of a distribution tie-up with IFFCO, Mittal couldn't evade questions on a potential bid for African telecom giant MTN. “We are not making any bid. We are open to opportunities and there is nothing on the table,” said Sunil Mittal, CMD, Bharti Airtel. MTN is reportedly having a board meeting on May 5 to evaluate bids. In a communication to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange earlier this week, the company had said, “MTN has not received any specific proposal. MTN receives tentative approaches from time to time, which are always evaluated. MTN has been valued at about USD 41 billion, that is almost as much as Bharti which is valued at USD 44 billion. […]