India: TeleGeography reports on a piece from the Economic Times, writing that mobile providers Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel are set to petition the Supreme Court this week. The companies are set to ask the country’s highest court to review elements of its recent ruling which ended a decade-long feud between the government and the telecom industry on how adjusted gross revenue (AGR) is calculated.
In its decision, the court had backed the government’s stance that revenue from non-core items such as interest, dividends and the sale of fixed assets should be included when assessing AGR – the figure on which operators’ licence and spectrum are based – leaving mobile providers with a total bill of around INR1.3 trillion (USD18.2 billion) in licence and spectrum fees, plus interest and penalties.
The paper notes that Airtel and Vodafone Idea, the two companies worst-affected by the ruling, are seeking a limited review of the decision targeting specific non-core items and will ask for the interest and penalties portion of the dues to be waived or reduced. Read more: TeleGeography and Economic Times
India: TeleGeography reports on a piece from the Economic Times, writing that mobile providers Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel are set to petition the Supreme Court this week.
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