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AGR dues: Vodafone Idea unlikely to get further relief or payment extension
New Delhi
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The government is not keen on giving further relief to Vodafone Idea (Vi) in the form of relaxed or extended payment schedule for the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) amount due from FY26 onwards, according to officials.
While discussions with the country's third-largest telecom player are ongoing, giving further financial leeway is becoming increasingly difficult, an official at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) said. To be specific, the government is not willing to convert more dues into equity and cannot reduce the ₹84,000 crore AGR amount owed by the company.
'The government has already taken equity. The idea was to give

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News18
a day ago
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Sanchar Saathi mobile app crosses 50 lakh mark downloads in six months of launch
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India.com
a day ago
- India.com
Sanchar Saathi Crosses 50 Lakh Downloads, Recovers More Than 5.35 Lakh Lost Mobiles
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3 days ago
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Department of Telecommunications ( DoT ) was the policymaker and licensor, operator and regulator – all rolled into one. Though Telecom Regulatory Authority of India ( TRAI ) was established in 1997, the private operators were gasping for breath by 1998 - defaulting both in network rollout and payment of license fees. March 1999 saw two significant developments – TRAI rationalised tariffs – upto 94% reduction, and the New Telecom Policy allowed migration to revenue-sharing model from fixed license fees, formalised 'Universal Service Obligation'. In 2003, TRAI put an end to the incoming call charges on mobile, leading to rapid adoption – thanks to other enablers - enhanced competition and bundling of devices. Internet, Broadband and Beyond November 1998 saw ISP licenses for one rupee per annum – blacklisting only Internet telephony in contrast to a short whitelist earlier including Archie and Veroinca! International bandwidth was augmented with multiple submarine cables. Internet telephony, albeit with restrictions, was also allowed in 2002. Established in 2003, National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI) began online registration of '.in' domain names. While the ambitious targets for 2010 in the Broadband Policy, 2004, remained unfulfilled, growth was fuelled by 3G and 4G, following the spectrum auctions in 2010 and later. National Plans and Policies Galore In 2006, National e-Governance Action Plan proposed about 30 Mission Mode digitization projects– including Ministry of Corporate Affairs and passport. Digital India Programme , launched in 2015, expanded the scope further. Out of 2.65 lakh Gram Panchayats, 2.15 lakh have already been connected by Bharat Net. However, less than 3.5 lakh public Wi-Fi hotspots against the target of one crore under the National Digital Communications Policy (NDCP), 2018 could be due to wide availability and highly affordable tariffs for mobile data on 4G as well as 5G networks. Legacy and Legislation Recognizing 'convergence of both markets and technologies across telecom, IT, consumer electronics and media', NTP 1999 had underlined the need for a forward-looking law to replace the archaic laws of 1885 and 1933 vintage. After almost quarter century, The Telecommunications Act, 2023 did so even as its scope remained narrower than the Convergence Communications Bill, 2001 ,which had lapsed in 2004. It is noteworthy, however, that Right of Way remained one of the common motivations in 2023 just like it was in 1885. Though originally contemplated to support fixed line only, USO Fund scope was expanded to include mobile and Internet in 2006 even it remains overtly focused on supply-side interventions and underutilized with Rs. 80,000 crore in its corpus. Spectrum Management & Auctions Initially bundled with licenses, spectrum auction has become the norm, following the 2012 Supreme Court ruling. However, many chunks of spectrum remain unbid, while others are sold at reserved prices, indicating scope for significant improvement. In addition, there is demand for de-licensed additional bands for new versions of Wi-Fi and other applications. Aadhaar enrolment of 1.4 billion, more than half of global real-time digital payments on UPI, digital vaccination certificates on CoWin – these DPIs were impossible without robust telecom network. While India quickly adopted remote working – including Work From Home, telemedicine and distance education, the pandemic also highlighted the acute challenges faced by the unconnected ones – amplified further on account of disparities across gender, geography and generation. Carriage, Content and Conduct Telecom was for carriage of content – telegraphic messages to telephonic voice. However, the Internet – and, more importantly, the world wide web – enabled creation and collation, curation and circulation of content en masse. However, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Ministry of Electronics & IT oversee regulation - implying overlaps and gaps. On the other hand, conduct is becoming more important – whether it is cybersecurity or data protection, competition or sustainability. India's tryst with mobile and Internet is a testament to bold policy and enabling regulations, technological advances and innovative business models. To drive the next wave of inclusive growth, the forthcoming policy should embrace convergence and restructure institutional architecture to corral and align 'All for Broadband', not just 'Broadband for All'. (DISCLAIMER: Views expressed are the author's personal.)