Telecom PSU MTNL has paid Rs 314 crore (Rs 3.14 billion) to BSNL, which had demanded Rs 1,062 crore (Rs 10.62 billion) for carrying the former's STD traffic.
A senior MTNL official told PTI that the company had paid Rs 314 crore to BSNL as part the ongoing discussion and this was the undisputable amount.
"Regarding the remaining amount, both the PSUs have exchanged data with each other to verify each others' claims and discussion is going on," the official said, adding that not much should be read into it as it is the same with private operators also.
BSNL had earlier stressed on the need of a regular and routine dues payment mechanism saying it should be done on a PSU-to-PSU basis as is the case with private operators.
A committee has been formed which will settle the Interconnect Usage Charges Bill netting each others dues on a monthly basis and it does not allow to accumulate leading to disputes.
On a net basis, while BSNL only has to pay termination charges to MTNL in Delhi and Mumbai, MTNL has to pay both carriage and termination to BSNL for whole of India.
Therefore, the dues pile up on MTNL front, say BSNL officials. Earlier, MTNL invited bids for getting a lower carriage charge, which may allow it to lower STD tariffs between Delhi and Mumbai.
BSNL on its part asked MTNL to pay Rs 1,062 crore for carrying its STD traffic for 2005-06 saying MTNL had not paid any dues for the last five years.
At present MTNL has selected VSNL to carry its traffic in Delhi and Mumbai and is in the process of selecting a bidder for rest of the country which could be any of the three private NLD players.
© 2025