Bharti Airtel fined ₹1.11 lakh by DoT over subscriber verification norms

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel on Friday said it has received a notice from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Uttar Pradesh (East) Licensed Service Area, imposing a penalty of ₹1.11 lakh for alleged violation of subscriber verification norms.

In a regulatory filing, the telecom major said the notice was received on January 30, 2026, following a Customer Application Form (CAF) audit for November 2025 conducted by the DoT. The audit allegedly found non-compliance with certain customer verification requirements under the licence agreement.

Under the licence conditions, telecom operators are mandated to ensure adequate verification of customers before enrolling them as subscribers, in line with instructions issued by the DoT from time to time. The department carries out periodic CAF audits to assess compliance with these norms.

Airtel clarified that the maximum financial impact is limited to the penalty amount, and there is no material impact on its financial, operational or other business activities.

“The company has opted to pay the penalty and will not contest the matter,” Airtel said in its filing.

Bharti Airtel shares were trading flat in early trade, as the penalty amount is considered immaterial relative to the company’s scale of operations.