Telcos Witness 8.2% YoY Rise In AGR In FY24: Trai

As higher data consumption and upgrades by the consumers lead to higher revenues for telecom operators, the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) of the telecom service providers increased by 8.24 per cent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis in 2023-24, as per the report by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The AGR in the financial year 2023-24 increased to Rs 2.7 trillion.

In its Indian Telecom Services-Yearly Performance Indicators report for the year 2023-24, Trai stated that the AGR has increased from Rs 2,49,908 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 2,70,504 crore in 2023-24.

The gross revenue also witnessed a 0.71 per cent YoY increase from Rs 3,33,697 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 3,36,066 crore in 2023-24. The applicable gross revenue (ApGR) rose from Rs 3,03,767 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 3,23,142 crore in 2023-24, registering a YoY growth of 6.38 per cent.

The license fees increased by 8.45 per cent on a yearly basis to Rs 21,642 crore in 2023-24 from Rs 19,954 crore in 2022-23. On the other hand, the spectrum usage charges (SUC) charges declined by 32.20 per cent from Rs 4,968 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 3,369 crore in 2023-24.

As far as the service providers are concerned, Reliance Jio marked a 9.62 per cent yearly growth from Rs 89,279.39 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 97,868.06 crore in 2023-24. Bharti Airtel registered a 12.12 per cent jump to reach Rs 80,529.33 crore in 2023-24. Bharat Sanchar Nigam or BSNL reported a 1.92 per cent decline, while Mahanagar Telephone Nigam or MTNL witnessed a sharp decline by 22.34 per cent in 2023-24. The AGR of MTNL in 2022-23 was Rs 785.6 crore, which came down to Rs 610.11 crore in 2023-24.

The share of public sector undertakings in the access AGR of telecom services came down to 6.64 per cent in 2023-24 from 7.04 per cent in 2022-23. The share of PSUs in such AGR stood at Rs 17,973 crore in 2023-24 as compared to Rs 17,605 crore in 2022-23.