With adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues expected to hurt Vodafone Idea, officials are exploring the contingency possibilities including the maximum number of mobile number portability (MNP) request that service provider can process, The Economic Times reported.
Officials from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) have asked India’s two MNP service providers – Syniverse Technologies India and MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions India – for the number of requests they can process in a day, the report said.
The telecom regulator’s the Digital Communications Commission (DCC) will on February 28 meet to discuss measures to aid struggling telecom players, the report added.
Also read: RBI flags impact of telecom troubles on banks, inflation: Report
Telecom companies have until March 17 to pay combined dues worth Rs 1.47 lakh crore to DoT. Media reports suggest that Vodafone Idea, which has the highest bill, may shut down if it does not receive any concessions.
Moneycontrol could not independently verify the story.
Officials have been informed that in a day, 500,000 customers can be transferred from one service provider to another, sources told the publication.
“This will put tremendous strain on the systems. To handle requests of millions of customers will be a big task and hence a contingency plan needs to be in place,” a source told the publication.
Vodafone Idea has 304 million customers as of December 31, 2019, according to the company's website. Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio will be the most likely receive the bulk of the customers who transfer from Vodafone Idea.
A separate report by The Times of India said the DCC is evaluating three different options to help the telecom companies.
Vodafone Idea owes Rs 53,000 crore as AGR-related dues, according to the DoT's estimate. Of this, it has paid Rs 3,500 crore.
Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd., which owns Jio, is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.
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