Indicating weaker financial health, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, (TRAI) in its latest report said that gross revenue of telecom operators fell 7.13 per cent to Rs 2,37,417 crore in 2018 from Rs 2,55,655 crore in 2017, while licence fee and spectrum charges that the government collects from them slipped 10.29 per cent and 17.7 per cent, respectively, during the year.
As per the regulatory body, the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) earned by companies from sale of telecom services also decreased over 10 per cent to Rs 1,44,446 crore during 2018 from Rs 1,60,814 crore in 2017. Besides, the report noted that spectrum usage charges (SUC) was 17.74 per cent lower at Rs 4,186 crore in 2018.
TRAI further showed that access services contributed 71.19 per cent of the total AGR of telecom services. In access services, GR, AGR, license fee and spectrum usage charges (SUC) declined by 8.88 per cent, 16.13 per cent, 16.20 per cent and 17.82 per cent, respectively, in 2018 over 2017.