New Delhi, July 23 - India's leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel is still in talks with South African telecom giant MTN for a possible merger, a top official said Thursday.

'Talks are going on between Bharti Enterprises, the parent of Bharti Airtel, and South Africa's MTN Group to form a global business combination,' Akhil Gupta, managing director of Bharti Enterprises, told reporters.

He, however, did not give details.

The companies revived talks in May this year.

Earlier this month, the market regulator had permitted Airtel and MTN to go ahead with their proposal to buy each other's shares in a $25 billion deal without the latter having to make an open offer in Indian equities markets.