Waiver provisions scrapped, new telecom bill may derail Vodafone Idea recovery: Experts

New Delhi: The removal of a provision offering waivers of licence fees, penalties, and charges, etc in the Telecommunications Bill, 2023 has come as a damper for financially-struggling telecom operator Vodafone Idea (Vi), as it may make it tough for the company to raise funds, lawyers and analysts said.

The waiver provisions in the original draft contemplated a framework that would have allowed financially stressed firms like Vodafone Idea to be revived with fresh investment with any potential investor also factoring in a waiver of significant statutory dues.