Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have reportedly urged the government to ensure a fair and balanced approach while formulating the new spectrum surrender policy, rather than designing it to favour a specific telecom operator.
During a recent discussion with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) regarding the proposal to allow the return of spectrum acquired before 2022, both telecom companies shared their concerns.
While the proposed policy would apply to all operators, Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) is expected to gain the most, as it could return a large portion of its spectrum holdings and lower its annual payment obligations.
Further, Jio, having minimal excess spectrum and having already cleared most of its payments ahead of schedule, would see limited impact. Airtel, on the other hand, has surplus airwaves in certain bands, such as 2100 MHz in select circles, that could be surrendered. The telco has also been making advance payments for a significant portion of its previous spectrum purchases.
