SC orders Reliance Infocomm to pay BSNL Rs40 crore

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today ordered the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Infocomm to pay Rs40 crore to telecom PSU Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited as levy on fixed wireless phone service, which the TDSAT, the telecom tribunal, has held as being equivalent to limited mobile service.

Last month, TDSAT had passed a judgement stating fixed wireless phone services offered by Reliance Infocomm equivalent to a limited mobile service and, therefore, liable to pay relevant charges like access deficit charge.

Reliance Infocomm had challenged this in the Supreme Court.

BSNL had raised a demand for Rs160 crore from Reliance Infocomm, of which it had paid Rs10 crore.

The division bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and S H Kapadia directed the telecom service provider to pay the additional Rs40 crore.