Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal on Thursday hailed the government's process of spectrum allocation by getting the allocation letter for the designated frequency bands within hours of making payment of Rs 8,312.40 crore.
Mittal in a statement said, "Yesterday Airtel paid Rs 8,312.4 cr towards spectrum dues and was provided the allocation letter for the designated frequency bands within hours. E band allocation was given along with spectrum as promised."
Mittal said that process of allocation reflected ease of doing business at work was in its full glory adding that "there was, no fuss, no follow up, no running around the corridors and no tall claims."
"In my over 30 years of first-hand experience with DOT, this is a first! Business as it should be. Leadership at work-right at the top and at the helm of telecom. What a Change! Change that can transform this nation – power its dreams to be a developed nation," Mittal added.
Bharti Airtel paid Rs 8,312.4 crore to the Department of Telecom towards dues for spectrum acquired in the recently concluded 5G auctions, the company said on Wednesday.
With the payment, Airtel has paid four years of 2022 spectrum dues upfront.
Airtel said it believes that this upfront payment, coupled with the moratorium on spectrum dues and AGR (adjusted gross revenue)-related payments for four years, will free up future cash flows and allow Airtel to dedicate resources to single-mindedly concentrate on the 5G rollout.
Mittal's Bharti Airtel made a successful bid of Rs 43,039.63 crore.
