MTNL, BSNL in talks to synergise services

NEW DELHI, INDIA: State-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) on Wednesday said it was in talks with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd to offer customers a pan-India service, adding that it was up to the government to decide if there will be a merger.

"Merger is for the government to decide, but bringing synergy is one of the objectives of the merger. The idea of synergy is to provide seamless connectivity to the customers," MTNL's chairman and managing director Kuldip Singh told reporters on the sidelines of an event here.

MTNL offers telecom services in Delhi and Mumbai while BSNL operates in the rest of the circles of the country.

Speaking on monetising its real estate assets, Singh said the company is targeting renting out space to generate additional revenue.

"The technology is changing fast, and the earlier technology required much more space than the newer technology, so we are able to vacate some space and rent it out to generate some additional sources of revenue," he said.