Department of Telecom slaps a total penalty of ₹3,050 crore on Airtel, VIL
- ByManjeet Singh | October 1, 2021
According to sources, the Department of Telecom (DoT) assessed Vodafone Idea a penalty of ₹2,000 crore and Bharti Airtel a fine of ₹1,050 crore based on TRAI’s recommendation five years ago.
A source shared the content of the demand notice served to the companies on Thursday, which gave them three weeks to pay the penalty.
Bharti Airtel’s spokesperson responded, “We are deeply disappointed with the arbitrary and unfair demand based on TRAI recommendations of 2016 relating to point of interconnection to a new operator. The allegations are baseless and unsubstantiated.”
“Bharti Airtel takes pride in maintaining high standards of compliance and has always followed the law of the land. We will challenge the demand and pursue the legal options available to us.”
There has not been any official comment from VIL yet.
Airtel, Vodafone and Idea (now merged) were recommended to be fined ₹3,050 crore by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for allegedly denying Reliance Jio access to their networks.
It was not recommended then that their telecom licenses be canceled due to the likelihood of significant consumer inconvenience.
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