New Delhi: Top executives of Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel on Tuesday met Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia where they raised issues troubling the sector and telcos. Vi is learnt to have raised the issue of adjusted gross revenue (AGR) following the Supreme Court verdict, though no relief for the carriers was discussed, people aware of the development said.
“Chaired a fruitful meeting with the Stakeholder Advisory Committee of Telecom Service Providers (TSPs). Together, we discussed key issues related to enhancing customer satisfaction, streamlining processes and improving quality of service, thereby ensuring connectivity, access and affordability for all,” Scindia said in a post on social networking site X. He met Reliance Jio Chairman Akash Ambani, Vodafone Idea CEO Akshay Mundra, Bharti Airtel Managing Director and Chief Executive Gopal Vittal and BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Robert J. Ravi.
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Some telecom companies have raised the issue of messaging and calling apps like WhatsApp and Telegram being excluded from the telecom regulator's recommendation on new licensing rules.
Telecom companies have long been demanding that calling and messaging apps, called OTT, be brought under the ambit of telecom licences as they provide calling and messaging services like any telecom operator. The issue of quality of service and the growing problem of harassing calls and SMSes was also raised during the meeting.
Vodafone Idea shared its concerns over the impact of the Adjusted Gross Revenue issue on the health of the sector, which was also supported by Bharti Airtel, people aware of the discussions said. Vi Chairman Ravinder Takkar on Monday said the company has initiated discussions with the central government on recalculation of AGR dues over mislabelling.
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“We are in discussions with senior government officials and taking clear views from all stakeholders on the matter, including with regard to calculation errors and omissions and penalties and interest on mistakes,” Takkar said.
“The Centre has asked us to take a broad view on what we think is the right mechanism and address the challenge as there is a clear understanding in the government that it should not be fair to ask us to pay for a calculation error,” he said.
Supporting the statement in a press conference on Monday, Scindia said that the telecom major is in talks with the Ministry of Communications and both the parties are seeking a deeper understanding of the matter. Last week, the Supreme Court dismissed Vi's curative petition on the ground that it did not meet the criteria for a plea.
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Published: September 24, 2024, 10:31 PM IST