LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - India's Bharti Enterprises

said it would acquire a 24.5% stake in BT Group, buying

out the British company's top shareholder, Altice UK, the

vehicle of Telecoms tycoon Patrick Drahi.

Bharti said in a statement on Monday that it had no

intention of making an offer to acquire the whole of BT, the

former state monopoly which is Britain's biggest broadband and

mobile company.

Drahi first bought into BT in 2021 but his wider group

is now struggling with high debt levels.

The Indian company said it would acquire an initial

9.99% stake before seeking to acquire the remaining 14.51%

following regulatory approvals, including voluntarily applying

for clearance under the UK National Security and Investment Act.

"This investment demonstrates the confidence we have in

BT and in the UK," Bharti Enterprises Chair Sunil Bharti Mittal

said in the statement.