SC lets telecom firms stagger AGR payments over 10 years

The threat of monopolisation is real and palpable as incumbent private operators, Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi), struggle to keep pace.

In a relief to Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, the Supreme Court Tuesday said that telcos could pay their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) over the next 10 years starting April 1, 2021.

These yearly instalments will have to be made by March 31 of every succeeding financial year and a compliance report by the companies as well as the DoT has to be filed by April 7 of that year, a three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said.

If a telco fails…