MTNL: A tale of descent from monopoly to margins

August 2024 and February 2025, with major exposures to Union Bank of India (₹3,633.42 cr), Indian Overseas Bank (₹2,374.49 cr), and Bank of India (₹1,077.34 cr), among others. Following these defaults, MTNL approached finance ministry for a waiver on dues. However, the ministry rejected a DoT proposal for a partial debt waiver. The DoT has since re-approached the ministry, seeking funds. For Q4 FY25, MTNL reported a net loss of ₹784 crore.

- Rakesh Kumar @ New Delhi

Key issues and govt support One of primary issues has been its technological lag. While private telcos rolled out 4G and prepared for 5G, MTNL remained stuck in 3G era. Even today, its 4G rollout is limited despite government backing and BSNL's support. Additionally, an aging workforce and massive salary and pension bills led to a disproportionate employee-customer ratio.