According to the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the government’s licence fee collection from telecom service providers (TSPs) increased 8.23 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 53.26 billion, while spectrum usage charge (SUC) mop-up declined about 40 per cent to Rs 8.36 billion during the quarter ended (QE) September 2023 quarter. Operators’ gross revenue (GR) declined by 1.22 per cent to Rs 827.41 billion, but adjusted gross revenue (AGR) increased by 7.43 per cent YoY to Rs 665.83 billion during the reported quarter.
As per the data, on a YoY basis, GR decreased by 1.22 per cent, applicable gross revenue (ApGR) increased by 6.74 per cent, and AGR increased by 7.43 per cent during QE September 2023. Access service providers or mobile operators including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea Limited (Vi) accounted for 81.67 per cent of the total AGR.
Jio recorded the highest AGR of Rs 242.17 billion with a 9.12 per cent YoY rise. Meanwhile, Airtel posted the highest AGR growth rate of 10.88 per cent at Rs 198.41 billion during the quarter. The AGR of Vi remained almost flat at Rs 75.07 billion. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) AGR grew 1.93 per cent to Rs 19.66 billion, while Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited’s (MTNL) AGR declined 16.35 per cent on a YoY basis to Rs 1.69 billion. Further, mobile operators paid Rs 43.51 billion licence fees and Rs 8.31 billion as SUC.
