However, the tribunal also said the DoT can’t coerce the company and other operators to pay the charges through a forced bilateral agreement by extending the threat of losing the backhaul spectrum if they do not sign on the dotted lines.

A source privy to the development told PTI that India's largest telecom operator Vodafone Idea has made payment of over Rs 3,042.7 crore to the Department of Telecom towards its spectrum dues (that is, deferred payment instalment for spectrum bought in auctions).

Currently, the equipments will be used for 4G services and can be upgraded to provide 5G services as per business requirement of Vodafone Idea, Ericsson said.

Jio’s 4G network registered an average download speed of 18.8 megabits per second (Mbps), while Airtel network clocked a speed of 9.5 Mbps.

The December quarter loss was higher than the previous quarter, when the firm had posted a loss of Rs 4,974 crore, primarily on account of network-expansion costs. The telco lost 35 million customers during the quarter. The average revenue per user (Arpu), however, improved.

According to the company’s filing with stock exchanges, the funds will be raised through a rights issue and the infusion is expected to happen by March.

Stating that such inaction in granting refunds has caused grave financial hardships, Vodafone said that its financial condition is precarious as it has accumulated losses of rS 5,557 crore and debts amounting to Rs 53,000 crore as on March 31, 2017.

The country’s largest mobile operator by subscriber, Vodafone Idea lost around 20.57 million subscribers in September to November period whereas Bharti Airtel was leaner by 4.22 million users during September and October.