Lockdown-led data usage a lifeline for telcos; spectrum sale on DoT radar

For the Indian telecom sector, the horoscope for 2020 was written nearly two months before the year had even begun. On October 24, 2019, the Supreme Court delivered a judgment that gave finality to a more than two-decade-old legal tussle — the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) issue. In its judgment, a three-judge Bench of the apex court ruled that the DoT’s definition and calculation of AGR was correct, and, therefore, the telcos as well as others who held spectrum licences would have to pay pending dues, penalty for not having paid their dues, and the interest on penalty. The SC, had then, noted the said dues would have to be paid within the next three months.