After the government announced the relief on adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues for Vi, it was a matter of time before Airtel also demand the same. It was already said by Airtel's management that whatever benefit is given to one player, should be extended to another. It makes sense as this is all about fair competition. The governmen can't play on biases, especially when the whole market is watching. Now, according to an ET report, Airtel and Tata Group (Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Limited) are now considering a collective representation to the government, looking for an equal treatment.
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Both Airtel and Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Limited (TTML) have AGR dues pending, and would want the same benefit that has been extended to Vi. For the unaware, Vi has been extended a relief of about 10 years for paying of its AGR dues. The AGR dues of the telco pertaining from the previous decade will now be payable only on 2036, with some token amount payable every year till then.
According to ET, one of the executives aware of the matter said, "We are evaluating multiple routes, including a collective approach to the government, but payments will not commence unless there is uniform treatment across companies."
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Airtel's AGR liabilities stand at Rs 48,103 crore. For the Tata Group, the AGR dues stand at Rs 19,259 crore. The telcos were given a moratorium of four years in September 2021 for the AGR dues as well as spectrum payments. These dues were to become payable starting the end of FY26. This is what troubled Vi, and thus, the telco had asked for government support to be able to continue business. It is likely that the government will also give this support to Airtel and Tata Teleservices.
