Airtel & Tata Telcos pay first instalment of AGR liabilities

MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel and Tata Group's telecom arms have paid the first instalment of their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) liabilities, having exhausted attempts to secure relief from the government.

People aware of the details told ET, the Department of Telecommunications has received over Rs 13,000 crore - around Rs 9,200 crore from Bharti Airtel and about Rs 4,100 crore from Tata Teleservices. March 31 was the last day to make the payments but it being a government holiday, the companies paid the amount Monday.

The payment was required as per the Supreme Court directive, as reported by ET on Monday. Any delay would have been treated as contempt of court.

Bharti Airtel's AGR dues stood at Rs 51,091 crore, as of December 31, 2025, according to the communications ministry, while those of Tata Group companies (Tata Teleservices and Tata Tele Maharashtra) stood at ?20,426 crore. So far, Bharti Airtel has paid about Rs 19,000 crore and Tata Group has paid Rs 4,197 crore. Repayments for both companies commence this March. In contrast, Vodafone Idea's Rs 87,695 crore dues have been deferred by the DoT until 2035.