Bharti Airtel seeks equity conversion for ₹40,000 crore government dues

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel Ltd, India’s second-largest telecom operator, has urged the department of telecommunications (DoT) to convert its adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues into equity, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

The company owes the government about ₹52,000 crore towards spectrum dues and ₹40,000 crore in terms of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues. In the telecom sector, there are certain regulatory payments that an operator has to make to the government for licence, etc., as a percentage of their AGR. Spectrum purchase payment is additional.