BANKS NERVOUS AS LOSSES MOUNT FOR VODAFONE, AIRTEL BELIEVE THE GOVT IS AWARE OF TELCOS’ STRESS: VODA IDEA CEO

The adverse fallout of huge losses posted by telecom majors Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel in the second quarter, on provisions made for dues in adjusted gross revenue (AGR), has left commercial banks nervous.

Bankers said that at present, both operators are current in their repayments. However, the concern is over the future debt repayment capacity in case these entities take more debt to finance operations and meet repayment obligations.

Vodafone, the joint venture partner in the Aditya Birla group entity, has categorically said that given the significant capital already invested, it will not inject further group equity into India.

“When an owner expresses the inability to make further investments, the issue is serious. Banks are analysing implications and awaiting clarity from the secretary panel,” said senior executives with a large public sector bank.

According to Reserve Bank of India data, commercial banks’ exposure to the telecommunications sector rose to ~1.15 trillion in September 2019, from ~81,126 crore in September 2017. State Bank of

India’s exposure to the industry increased to ~35,735 crore as of September 2019, from ~25,538 crore a year ago.

Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel reported a whopping combined loss of close to ~74,000 crore in the September 2019 quarter, as the leading telecom operators were hit by statutory dues arising from the recent Supreme Court ruling on AGR.

While Vodafone Idea posted a loss of ~50,921 crore — the highest-ever quarterly loss by any corporate in India — Airtel reported loss to the tune of ~23,045 crore.

The issue had been dragging on for the past 14 years, with telecom providers and the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) locked in a battle over the definition of AGR.

While the telecom service providers insisted that AGR included only revenue from core operations, the DOT maintained that AGR also included revenue from operations other than the core ones.

AGR assumes significance because it is the basis on which the DOT calculates levies payable by operators. Telecom companies pay 3-5 per cent and 8 per cent of the AGR as spectrum usage charges and license fees, respectively, to the DOT.