New Delhi, Aug. 7 -- Reliance Jio's payment liability to the department of telecommunications (DoT) stood at Rs.1.09 trillion as of March-end, a decline from Rs.1.13 trillion a year earlier, according to Reliance Industries Ltd's FY25 annual report.

The liability remains substantial, primarily due to the company's historically aggressive spectrum acquisition strategy - most notably during the 2022 5G auction, in which it secured radio frequencies worth Rs.88,000 crore.

In comparison, Bharti Airtel's deferred payment liability stood at Rs.95,028 crore as of March-end, compared to Rs.1.04 trillion in the year-ago period, according to its FY25 annual report.

"Jio's spectrum footprint increased to 26,801 MHz (uplink + downlink), solidifyin...