The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued a “show-cause-cum-demand” notice of Rs 7,827.55 crore to Tata Communications for adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues spanning nearly two decades, the company disclosed in an official note dated July 17.The dues have been raised for the financial years from 2005–06 to 2023–24. Tata Communications Managing Director AS Lakshminarayan said in the note that the total demand includes Rs 276.68 crore related to the disallowance of deductions claimed by the company under different licences, PTI reported.“As at June 30, 2025, the company has received ‘Show Cause-cum Demand Notices’ (‘demand notices’) from Department of Telecommunications of India aggregating to Rs 7,827.55 crore for financial years ranging from FY 2005-06 to FY 2023-24, which have been revised over a period of time,” Lakshminarayan said.He added that the amount includes claims under Tata Communications’ ISP (internet service provider) licence for FY 2010–11 and its NLD (national long distance) licence for FY 2006–07 and 2009–10.The company said its appeals related to AGR liability under ILD (International Long Distance), NLD, and ISP licences are currently pending before the Supreme Court and the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).Lakshminarayan clarified that these appeals are not connected to the October 24, 2019 Supreme Court ruling on AGR dues, which covered telecom companies operating under the Unified Access Service Licence (UASL) regime.“Further, the company believes that all its licences are different from UASL, which was the subject matter of Hon’ble Supreme Court judgement of October 24, 2019. The company, based on its assessment and independent legal opinions, believes that it will be able to defend its position,” he stated.As per earlier government calculations, telecom companies had a cumulative AGR liability of about Rs 1.65 lakh crore till FY 2018–19. These estimates included dues of Rs 59,236.63 crore for Vodafone Idea, Rs 31,280 crore for Bharti Airtel, Rs 16,224 crore for BSNL, Rs 5,009.1 crore for MTNL, and Rs 631 crore for Reliance Jio. Tata Communications’ dues were not part of that list.
