Airtel gets notices from DoT and TRAI, faces penalties exceeding ₹43 lakh

Bharti Airtel Ltd has received separate regulatory communications from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), resulting in a penalty of ₹6.67 lakh and a financial disincentive of ₹37.12 lakh, respectively, according to an exchange filing by the company.The telecom operator said the DoT’s Andhra Pradesh Licensed Service Area (LSA) has imposed a penalty of ₹6.67 lakh for alleged violations of subscriber verification norms identified during a Customer Application Form (CAF) audit conducted for March 2026. Under the licence agreement, telecom service providers are required to ensure adequate verification of customers before enrolling them as subscribers and comply with directions issued by the DoT.

Bharti Airtel said it has opted to pay the penalty and will not contest the order. The company added that the maximum financial impact from the matter is limited to the penalty amount levied, according to the exchange filing.
In a separate development, Airtel also received an order from TRAI levying a financial disincentive of ₹37.12 lakh. The regulator cited alleged shortcomings in the redressal of complaints under the Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2018, for the quarter ended September 2024, the filing showed.The company said it disagrees with the TRAI order and intends to take appropriate action seeking rectification or reversal of the same. Airtel noted that the potential financial impact would be restricted to the amount of the disincentive imposed.

According to the exchange filing, the DoT communication was received on June 9 at 10:34 a.m. IST, while the TRAI order was received later in the day at 12:42 p.m. IST.