Private sector telecom companies Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio paid more than Rs 6,000 crore in spectrum instalments to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), news agency ANI reported. Bharti Airtel paid Rs 3,042 crore, whereas Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea paid Rs 1,053 crore and Rs 1,950 crore respectively to the telecom department, according to ANI. The payments were towards the purchase of airwaves in the spectrum auctions of 2014.
The payment of spectrum dues comes as a deadline ended on Tuesday. Any default on payment of spectrum dues entitles the Department of Telecommunications to encash bank guarantees.
In a separate development, companies scramble to clear thousands of crores of dues to the telecom department towards statutory dues.
Vodafone Idea has adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues of Rs 53,000 crore. Out of which, the company has made payments of Rs 3,500 crore.
Rival Bharti Airtel has paid Rs 18,000 crore in AGR-related dues to the department, part of its total liability of Rs 35,500 crore.
Intense competition in the country's telecom sector has led to piles of debt for the companies and forced some to consider consolidation or shutting operations.
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