Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd has carried out its threat to snap links with private operators over non-payment of carriage charges.
The PSU has disconnected private mobile operators starting with Punjab leaving telecom subscribers in the lurch.
Speaking to
“We are custodian of public money and if private operators owe us money then we are left with no option but to stop the service. If we do not take action to retrieve the money then questions may be asked by agencies as to why we didn't do enough.”
“If the private operators feel that we are asking for something illegal then they can go to the courts and get a stay order. The onus of providing services to their customers is on them,” he added.
Private operators said that the BSNL action has heavily affected the fixed line and mobile subscribers in Punjab as they were not able to connect with each others' network. “Private operators believe that BSNL has shown callous disregard for the needs of consumers and has no reason to initiate the disconnection action now, when the whole matter was being reviewed by TRAI,” the Cellular Operators Association of India said.
The dispute is over carrier charges which are basically fees paid by mobile phone companies to fixed line operators. While private telcos say that this fee is 15 paise a minute, BSNL wants 60-80 paise.