Govt to allow telecom firms to defer payments of future spectrum auctions

Meanwhile, the Department of Telecom is preparing to issue fresh notices to telecom companies asking them how they had calculated their dues linked to AGR

In a relief to the telecom industry, currently grappling with the adjusted gross revenue crisis, the government on Wednesday said that mobile service providers would be given the option to defer future spectrum auction payments.

“Considering the stress in the sector, the government has given an option to the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) to defer payment of the spectrum auction instalments dues for 2020-21 and 2021-22, either for one or both years,” Minister of State for Communications Sanjay Dhotre informed the Lok Sabha today.

On February 26, 2020, Business Standard reported that a deferred payment route for future spectrum-related payments was one