UK’s Vodafone Group seeks relief on spectrum dues

Top executives of UK’s Vodafone Group sought a two-year moratorium on payment of spectrum-related dues by Indian joint venture Vodafone Idea, said people familiar with the matter. This is the third time this year that its executives have sought such relief in meetings with the government, underscoring financial stress at the carrier, which has been posting losses and losing customers since Vodafone Idea and Idea Cellular merged in August 2018.

During their meeting with telecom secretary Anshu Prakash on Monday, Vodafone Group chairman Gerard Kleisterlee and chief executive officer Nick Read also sought “a refund of ₹32,000 crore of input tax credit (due to telcos) which has been held by finance ministry,” said one of the persons.