BSNL makes interim payments to equipment and technology vendors

In a positive move, vendors including Nokia, Ericsson, ZTE and UTStarcom have received an interim payment from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).

As per industry resources, both Nokia and ZTE are reported to have received an interim payment of Rs 1.50 billion each while UTStarcom has been sanctioned Rs 0.50 billion. Meanwhile, Ericsson is likely to receive Rs 0.22 billion.

That said, there is no clarity on when the full payment will be made by the PSU. As of mid-December 2019, BSNL owed Rs 13 billion to ZTE, Rs 12 billion to Nokia and Rs 1.2 billion to Ericsson. UTStarcom has demanded around Rs 5 billion in capex and opex dues from the telco.

Earlier, Nokia and ZTE have threatened to withdraw support from the state-run telco over nonpayment of dues.

Meanwhile, American Tower Corporation (ATC) and China based Fiberhome are still awaiting clarity on the clearance of their outstanding dues from BSNL.