One-time spectrum fees: Big fight begins in court

The Supreme Court (SC) will today hear the decade-old one-time spectrum charge (OTSC) case — another high-impact battle between the government and telcos over statutory dues. As in the adjusted gross revenue case, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) will be the most impacted by the outcome.

But it remains to be seen if the department of telecommunications (DoT), which had a year ago sought time from the apex court to consider withdrawing its appeal against a TDSAT (Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal) verdict in the OTSC case, actually does so. If DoT withdraws its appeal, it would boost loss-making Vi’s fundraising prospects. ET’s Kalyan Parbat examines the case: