'Vodafone Idea is expected to unveil revival plan in a month'

The telecom department is preparing for the next spectrum auction in the second half of FY24, which may include the unsold spectrum from previous auctions and new bands, said K. Rajaraman

- Gulveen Aulakh

The telecom department is preparing for the next spectrum auction in the second half of FY24, which may include the unsold spectrum from previous auctions and new bands, he said. With regard to satellite communication (satcom) services, he said the government must consider legal factors when allocating airwaves but indicated that if the telecom regulator recommends administrative allocation, the department will consider it. Edited excerpts:

Now that government has taken equity in Vodafone Idea and Kumar Mangalam Birla is back on the board, are the promoters putting more money into the company? Is the government monitoring the carrier’s performance?

We hear that they’re working with banks and financial institutions. They’re expected to get back to us with a revival plan, probably within a month. We keep getting monthly reports on their subscriber base and other parameters, but what we want them to do is to come back with resources – equity and debt – and we’re awaiting a final communication from them. And now that Mr Birla is back on the board, I’m hopeful they will revert to us soon with their plan.