The Department of Telecommunications (DOT) on Wednesday received over Rs 17,873 crore from companies towards 5G spectrum dues. Nearly half the amount (Rs 8312.4 crore) was paid by Bharti Airtel, which made advance payments for four years to free up cash for future investments.
Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea paid Rs 7,864 crore and Rs 1,680 crore, respectively. Adani Enterprises, which has acquired spectrum for captive private networks, is reported to have paid Rs 18 crore.
The first payout by telecom companies towards 5G spectrum dues is higher than the DoT’s initial calculation. The department had estimated these companies to