A level playing field

Case-by-case treatment in telecom should be avoided

- 

Vodafone Idea (Vi) is hopeful that the government, which holds 49 per cent in the telco, would look at a long-term solution to its pending dues linked to adjusted gross revenue (AGR).

The confidence, expressed at a recent earnings call, is based on the latest Supreme Court decision allowing the Centre to reassess the telco’s AGR up to FY17. While the court has permitted the government to review the entire AGR dues following the telco’s concern over calculation errors, there should not be any special dispensation for one company. The focus should be on a uniform policy for the telecom sector. A case-by-case treatment of entities could go against the spirit of level playing field and risk triggering legal complications.