Telcos Dues Might Increase After Updated DOT Calculations: Report

The worst for the telecom sector is yet to come, as it seems that the industry is likely to face another financial crisis in the coming days. It has been reported that the Department of Telecommunications is reportedly doing another calculation of dues for the last two financial years.

According to a new report, the AGR dues, which they (Telecom Operators) are paying is till FY17. This means that they will have to pay the dues of FY18 and FY19. "The AGR dues have been calculated till 2016-2017 - this is a long process. We are now accessing the figures for the period since then, including the penalties and interest," a person close to the development quoted by Economic Times. "There are 22 circles and this aggregation takes time, " sources added.

In fact, many experts believe that the calculations will increase the AGR dues by 40 percent, and this will create another trouble for the operators. At present,
Vodafone-Idea owes a debt of Rs. 56,709.49 crore to the government. Airtel has to pay Rs 39,723.93 crore. However, the operator already paid Rs. 10,000, core, and now it is doing a self-assessment. While Tata Teleservices has to pay Rs. 14,819.03 crore, where they have paid Rs. 2,197 crore.

"The self-assessment numbers that will be submitted by the operators will be an updated one. However, the DoT's AGR reviews have a lag of two-three years which further adds to the issue as claims between the telcos and government differ," said Rajan Mathews, director-general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

He added, "DoT has the authority to audit the telcos' claims, but this has been an ongoing issue." It is worth mentioning that the Supreme Court has ordered 15 entities to pay 1.47 lakh crore to the government as AGR dues.

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