New Delhi: Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held a crucial meeting on Tuesday with top executives from major telecom companies, including Akash Ambani, Rajan Bharti Mittal, and Vodafone Idea CEO Akshay Mundra. The meeting primarily focused on the ongoing issues related to Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR), with telecom companies urging the government to address discrepancies in the AGR deposit calculations.
The Supreme Court recently dismissed a curative petition concerning AGR, prompting telecom companies to seek relief from the government. According to sources, the government is currently reviewing these requests. “We are looking at the Supreme Court’s order,” Scindia stated on Monday, indicating a willingness to consider the telecom companies’ demands.
During the meeting, Scindia highlighted that telecom firms have invested over ₹4.56 lakh crore in the transition from 4G to 5G technology over the past two financial years. He noted that the ministry would not interfere with state-run telecom companies regarding their timelines and business strategies for launching 4G services.
Scindia also shared impressive statistics, noting that in the last decade, the cost of voice calls has plummeted by 94%, from ₹0.51 per minute to just ₹0.035. The price of 1 GB of internet data has decreased dramatically by 97%, now costing ₹8.75 compared to ₹297 per GB. On the impact of tariff hikes, he remarked that the transition from 3G to 4G and now to 5G has resulted in substantial expenditures, amounting to over ₹4.26 lakh crore in the last two years.
“If you invest more, you will definitely see profits,” Scindia asserted, emphasising that connectivity has improved significantly under the NDA government while fees have reduced considerably. When asked about the financial health of the telecom sector following the Supreme Court’s dismissal of Vodafone Idea Limited’s plea regarding AGR, he expressed confidence in the sector’s strength, noting the presence of four key players.
Additionally, Scindia announced that India has become the sixth country globally to install its own 4G technology. Following a fee increase by private telecom companies in July, BSNL has gained over 29.47 lakh new subscribers, while Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and Jio collectively lost 38.65 lakh mobile subscribers.
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