Airtel is likely to face another issue, as DoT has asked the operator to clear the Videocon Telecommunication's AGR amount. The ministry has also approached the Supreme Court regarding the same matter. Notably, Airtel acquired the Video Telecommunication spectrum in 2016.
However, the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) said that Airtel has refused to pay Rs. 1,376 crores dues of Videocon despite the ministry requested the operator for the same. On the other hand, the telecom operator said that it is not responsible for any past liabilities of the Videocon.
"Given the clear and categorical findings of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, the trading guidelines issued by DoT and DoT's own understanding, along with the fact that such demand was never raised on Airtel, is ample testimony to the fact that Airtel is not liable for any outstanding dues of Videocon pertaining to the outstanding AGR dues," the telecom operator said. Notably, Videocon sold 1,800 MHz band to Airtel for Rs. 4,428 crores in 2016.
Adjusted Gross Revenue Of Telecom Operators
According to the Supreme Court order, all operational telecom operators have to pay 10 percent of AGR dues by March 31, 2021, and the rest of the amount by March 31, 2021. However, Airtel, Vi, and Tata Teleservices said that they have already cleared the amount. Apart from these telecom players, both state-run telecom operators BSNL and MTNL have to clear AGR dues worth Rs. 10,000 crores.
As per the telecom ministry calculations, BSNL has to pay Rs. 5,835 crores, while MTNL has to clear Rs. 4,352 crores dues. Similarly, telecom operators like Quadrant Televentures debt stand at Rs. 189.22 crores, Reliance Jio needs to pay Rs. 195 crores, Aircel has to clear Rs. 12,389 crores, Reliance Communications has to clear Rs. 25,194 crores, and Videocon Telecom has to pay Rs. 1,376 crores. Additionally, the ministry announced that Etisalat DB, S Tel, and Loop Telecom have to pay Rs. 604 crores; however, these telecom operators are not operating in the country.
AGR Dues Paid By Telecom Operators
As per the ministry data, Airtel has cleared Rs. 18,004 crores, Tata Teleservices already paid Rs. 4,197.37 crores, whereas Reliance Jio paid Rs. 195.18 crores, Reliance Communication already cleared Rs. 4.69 crores, and Hughes Communications cleared Rs. 62.9 crores.