Telcos urge global vendors to absorb duty hike

Kolkata: Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) are pushing global vendors Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung to absorb the latest hike in basic customs duty (BCD) on printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), saying they are in no position to shell out an extra 5% towards 4G/5G network rollouts/expansions, people aware of the matter said.

Operators reason that they are yet to monetise their 5G businesses and even the full impact of the recent headline tariff hikes of 11-25% will reach them only by the December quarter of FY25.