Telcos' spectrum can't be treated as 'security interest' by lenders: NCLAT Telecom companies have the right to use spectrum under the licence granted to them. However, they cannot be said to be the owners in possession. BusinessToday.In | April 14, 2021 | Updated 22:40 IST The tribunal made it clear that spectrum "cannot be treated as a security interest by the lenders". Debt-ridden telecom companies undergoing insolvency proceedings cannot claim rights to their spectrum, a natural resource, if payments for spectrum usage have not been made to the government, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal has said. In what could be a landmark judgement amid multiple telecom players undergoing proceedings under the insolvency law, a three-member bench of the tribunal also made it clear that spectrum "cannot be treated as a security interest by the lenders".