DoT prepares crisis plan for telecom companies

NEW DELHI: Concerned over the fast-deteriorating condition in the telecom sector, the government has started preliminary work on a crisis plan to take care of crores of mobile subscribers and business enterprises, in case any telecom company fails to come out of the difficult situation.
While the department of telecom (DoT) is hopeful of working out a formula to pull the beleaguered players out of the crisis, it is still being considered prudent to prepare for the worst. A collapse of any major telecom company, if it happens, would result in chaos in case of mass-scale shift of subscribers, lakhs of porting requests, and even closure of telecom and internet lines of businesses (leased lines) that range from top corporate houses and MNCs to ride-hailing companies and online retailers.
Vodafone Idea, with 30 crore mobile subscribers and a long list of business enterprises as customers, appears to be in a very tight spot now with the Supreme Court making it clear that companies have to pay the AGR dues.