Lenders fret on ways to recover dues from ghost telecom companies

Continued losses put a question mark on nearly Rs 7 trn worth of equity investment, including reinvested earnings of operators

As liabilities pile up, telecom has become a financial black hole for corporate India. At the end of March this year, mobile operators had together accumulated losses of Rs 1.4 trillion and outstanding debts of around Rs 4.9 trillion. 

Accumulated losses rise to Rs 1.85 trillion if one excludes Bharti Airtel, which is in the black thanks to high profitability in the past. The company reported accumulated profits of Rs 45,473 crore at the end of March this year on a consolidated basis, down from a high of around Rs 48,400 crore at the end of March 2017 (see chart).

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