Bharti Airtel informed the government that it would opt for the four-year moratorium on payment of AGR and spectrum dues, a source said on Monday. The company had added that it would inform the government later about its decision on the option of converting the interest accrued during the moratorium period, the source added.  

The option of moratorium on the dues was offered by the government to telecom companies as a part of a recently-announced relief package for the telecom sector. 

Airtel communicated its decision to the telecom department on Friday. Airtel told the government that it would take the four-year moratorium on AGR and spectrum dues “with the option of prepaying, as per the NIA (notice-inviting application) norms”, the source added. 

In line with the reforms unveiled for the telecom sector, the government recently wrote to telecom companies, including Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio, asking them to convey by October 29 if they would be opting for the four-year moratorium on the dues. 

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has also given 90 days’ time to the operators to indicate if they want to opt for converting the interest amount pertaining to the moratorium period into equity. 

Last week, Vodafone Idea had said its board had approved the four-year spectrum payment moratorium. It had further said that the other options offered in DoT’s notification would be considered by the board of directors within the stipulated timeframe.