Spectrum acquisition: Four companies pay Rs 17,876 crore upfront to DoT

Bharti Airtel said Wednesday it has paid Rs 8,312.4 crore upfront to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) towards dues for the spectrum it had acquired in the recently concluded 5G auctions. The telco said it paid dues for four years upfront, as it would help future cash flows and its 5G rollout.

The DoT also got Rs 7,864.7 crore in upfront payment from Reliance Jio, Rs 1,679.98 crore from Vodafone Idea (Vi), and Rs 18.94 crore from Adani Data Networks, an Adani Group arm. As a result, it has received a total of Rs 17,876 crore.

Airtel plans to launch 5G services this month. Over the last year, it has also cleared Rs 24,333.7 crore of deferred spectrum liabilities, the telco said.