Reliance Jio emerged as the top performer in adjusted gross revenue (AGR), which serves as the basis for calculating government spectrum and licence fees, posting an impressive Rs 25,330.97 crore. According to a report released on Thursday by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), Bharti Airtel demonstrated the most significant growth in AGR, with a remarkable 13.25% increase to Rs 20,951.91 crore in the March 2024 quarter, up from Rs 15,500.36 crore a year prior.

Reliance Jio’s AGR grew by 10.21% during the January-March 2024 period, rising from Rs 22,985 crore in the same period the previous year. Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea, despite ongoing financial struggles, posted a modest year-on-year increase of 2.22% in AGR, reaching Rs 7,370.75 crore from Rs 7,210.63 crore.

State-owned telecom companies BSNL and MTNL saw declines in their AGR, with BSNL experiencing a 4.41% drop to Rs 1991.61 crore and MTNL a steeper 13.78% fall to Rs 156.61 crore.

Overall, the gross revenue for telecom service providers saw a 3.01% year-over-year growth, reaching Rs 87,926 crore. Adjusted gross revenue increased by 9.25% in the March 2024 quarter. Government collections from licence fees and spectrum usage charges (SUC) rose by over 10% to Rs 6,506 crore year-over-year, as per the Trai report.

The report highlighted that the telecom sector’s gross revenue, applicable gross revenue (ApGR), and adjusted gross revenue (AGR) for the quarter ended March 2024 stood at Rs 87,926 crore, Rs 83,945 crore, and Rs 70,462 crore, respectively. The year-over-year growth rates for GR, ApGR, and AGR were 3.01%, 6.76%, and 9.25%, respectively.

Licence fee collections increased by 9.28% to Rs 5,637 crore in the March 2024 quarter from Rs 5,159 crore in the same period in 2023. Spectrum usage charges saw a substantial 15.11% rise to Rs 869 crore, up from Rs 755 crore on a year-over-year basis.