The Supreme Court (SC) has granted an interim stay on the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal’s (TDSAT) order which had stalled the Department of Telecommunications’ (DoT) demand for Rs 20 billion from Reliance Communications (RCOM) as one-time spectrum charges (OTSC).
The move may require RCOM to provide bank guarantees worth Rs 20 billion, under DoT’s demands. However, RCom stays uncertain regarding the payments as it is in the midst of insolvency proceedings.
The DoT has raised similar demands regarding OTSC against telcos such as Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel. However, such demands have been stayed by the TDSAT.
As per industry sources, the DoT has challenged these orders in the SC, whose latest order on RCOM may have a bearing on the OTSC demands against other telcos.
