| | APRIL 20258Bharti Airtel, along with its subsidiary Bharti Hexacom, has made a prepaid payment of Rs 5,985 crores to the Department of Telecom, addressing the high-interest liabilities associated with the 2024 auctions, which stand at 8.65 percent.Moreover, Airtel's subsidiary, Network i2i Ltd., has opted to redeem $1 billion in Perpetual Notes voluntarily, according to the telecom major.Emphasizing its focus on financial prudence and operational efficiency, Airtel persistently reduces its high-cost spectrum liabilities, which helps in diminishing its overall debt and the expense related to it.To date, Airtel has prepaid Rs 25,981 crores in high-cost spectrum liabilities for the ongoing 2025 fiscal year and has cumulatively repaid Rs 66,665 crores in spectrum liabilities.The average interest rate of these prepaid liabilities was around 9.74 percent. Previously, Airtel had completely settled liabilities with interest rates of 10 percent, 9.75 percent, and 9.3 percent.These prepayments were accomplished approximately seven years ahead of their average remaining maturities.As a result of these payments, Airtel has also managed to reduce its cost of debt concerning spectrum liabilities to about 7.22 percent on the remaining Rs 52,000 crores of spectrum liabilities (excluding AGR liabilities).The remaining spectrum liabilities follow a lengthy repayment schedule, which extends until FY 2042.In addition, Network i2i Limited, a subsidiary of Airtel, has voluntarily redeemed $1 billion in USD Perpetual Notes, which were issued in FY 2020, by exercising a call option. Also Read: CEO Insights Exclusive: Teamwork Tips from IIT-ians for Corporate SuccessPerpetual notes, which lacked a set maturity date, carried an interest rate of 5.65 percent. Following the redemption of the $1 billion in perpetual notes, Airtel will have approximately $479 million in perpetual notes remaining, which were issued during FY 2021 and may be called in FY 2026. According to reports, Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman & MD, Bharti Airtel has been appointed as the new Chairman of GSMA until 2026 where he will oversee the strategic direction of the body that represents 1000 telecom companies from around the world, handset and device companies, software companies, equipment providers, internet companies, as well as organizations in adjacent industry sectors.Gopal Vittal has become the second Indian, following Sunil Bharti Mittal, to be elected as the Chairman of the GSMA Board. He has previously contributed to the GSMA Board in various roles for over ten years, including serving as Deputy Chair for the past three years.Most recently, in early 2025, he was appointed as the Acting Chair of the GSMA board and has now been officially elected as its Chair. Gopal Vittal currently holds the positions of Vice Chairman and Managing Director at Bharti Airtel, and he is also a Board member at Bharti Airtel Limited, Airtel Africa PLC, and Indus Towers. Before this, he was the Managing Director and CEO of Airtel for 12 years.Gopal Vittal says, "I am honored to be elected as the Chair of the GSMA Board. The mobile industry contributed $6.5 trillion to the global economy in 2024 and is the spine on which much of the innovation in the world is built."Also Read: Leadership Traits 2025 Case Study: The Middle-Class Man Who Delivered Rs.2000 Crore DreamMats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA says, "I have worked with Vittal for many years and am delighted that he has been appointed Chair of the GSMA Board. His knowledge and experience makes him very well positioned to lead the Board and the industry through the current challenges and opportunities, including how to leverage AI and complete 5G for new business models and revenues streams." BHARTI AIRTEL PREPAYS RS 5,985 CRORE OF HIGH-COST SPECTRUM LIABILITIESGSMA APPOINTS GOPAL VITTAL AS ITS NEW CHAIRMANIN FOCUSIN FOCUS
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