Indian Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said consultations on adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues related to Vodafone Idea are ongoing, but stressed that corporate strategy must be determined by the company’s management and not the government.
Government Will Not Interfere in Corporate Strategy
“I don’t think because you (the government) are an equity holder and a minority at one at that, you can advise them (the company). It is the CEO who should be defining what the corporate strategy is. It is for that company to define,” Scindia told BusinessLine in an interview, according to a report dated December 28, 2025.
The minister added that while the government would, of course, like to see the telecom operator prosper, serve its customers efficiently and grow, the responsibility for these outcomes lies squarely with the company’s management.
“But that responsibility must lie with the management, and not with the Department of Telecom,” the Minister reportedly added.
The government has a 49 per cent stake in Vodafone Idea, and the company is still struggling to retain customers and in major losses. The company recently received a measure of relief after the Supreme Court permitted the government to reassess Vodafone Idea’s AGR dues, a move seen as a lifeline for the debt-laden operator, the report added.
AGR Dues Relief Still Under Consideration
In a separate interview with PTI, the minister, speaking about the relief sought by Vodafone Idea (VIL), said the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is still working on the matter.
“We are today applying our minds on that. It is work in progress within the Department of Telecommunications,” Scindia was quoted as saying.
VIL, in a letter to the DoT earlier this year, said its liabilities to the government amount to around Rs 2 lakh crore, including Rs 1.19 lakh crore towards spectrum dues.
The company said that in the absence of support, the Centre would face significant direct monetary loss, with no recovery of spectrum dues, the equity value of Rs 53,083 crore becoming nil, and no recovery of AGR dues.
When asked about the sustainability of repeated relief to VIL, the minister said no relief has been given to the company so far, as mentioned in the report dated December 28, 2025.
“We have not given any relief as such. We have converted our dues into equity. Therefore, we hold a 49 per cent equity stake in Vodafone against dues of close to, if I recall correctly, Rs 37,000 crore. That is now the Government of India’s equity stake in that company,” Scindia said.
Indian Telecom Market Remains Strong with Four Players
Scindia reportedly said the Indian market continues to be robust with four operators, and the government would like to maintain that.
“If you look at countries across the world, very few can boast of four providers of telecom services. India today has four very robust telcos,” the minister reportedly said, adding that even players such as Vodafone Idea and BSNL currently serve close to about 210 million and 100 million customers, respectively.
“Very few telcos in the world can boast of that. You have an economy with four players, very robust pricing, and high economies of scale in the market. We would like to see that continue,” Scindia was quoted as saying.
5G Rollout in India
Meanwhile, Vi said on Friday that it has commenced the next phase of its 5G network rollout in additional cities, while bolstering 4G capacity. The company’s 5G services are already available in 29 cities.
“We have strengthened our network by adding a significant number of towers across the country, enhancing coverage and capacity for more robust connectivity and a superior network experience. Alongside this, Vi has launched 5G in 29 cities and has now commenced the next phase of expansion to bring 5G to many more cities nationwide, while continuing to strengthen our Al-based self-optimised 4G network,” the CEO said, welcoming 2026.
In a year-end letter to subscribers, Abhijit Kishore, CEO of the company, said it has strengthened its digital services ecosystem through strategic partnerships in travel, the Internet of Things (IoT), fintech, MSME enablement, and future-ready connectivity solutions.
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