Govt orders spl audit of Airtel, Vodafone, TTSL, Idea accounts

The government today ordered a special audit of four major telecom companies -- Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and Tata Teleservices -- to ensure that there was no revenue loss to the exchequer.

Similar audit has already been ordered on Anil Ambani group company RCom to find whether the company was showing revenue under some heads that attract lower licence fee.

According to senior officials in the Department of Telecom (DoT), a special audit for all the integrated telecom companies will be undertaken, as suggested by the telecom regulator Trai, once in 3-5 years.

DoT's action comes after Trai found a jump in revenue from long distance segment, in case of Bharti Airtel, which attracts only six per cent licence fee as against up to 10 per cent for other mobile services.

An Airtel spokesperson had earlier said: "As a responsible corporate following the highest standards of corporate governance, Bharti Airtel has always strictly adhered to the regulatory requirements and processes.

"In our communication to the regulator, we have already clarified the queries raised by them, which are in complete compliance and within regulatory framework."

Asked whether auditors have been appointed, officials said that the process has begun and a decision in this regard would be taken soon.