Indian state-owned operators BSNL and MTNL are together owed over 34 billion rupees ($544.4 million) in outstanding fees by their subscribers, according to the nation's ICT minister.
Ravi Shankar Prasad has revealed that BSNL is owed 25.2 billion rupees in unpaid bills, while MTNL is owed 8.87 billion rupees, Business Standardreported.
BSNL has recovered a total of 253.41 billion rupees in outstanding dues during the three years ending in 2014. Over the same period, MTNL has recovered just 7.36 billion rupees.
The government has been attempting to turn around BSNL and MTNL's fortunes for years, and has reportedly recently been considering shutting down the operators and eight other lossmaking public companies.
Other proposals being considered include a merger between the two companies.
The report also quotes the minister as stating that Indian call rates are among the lowest in the world, partly as a result of the intense competition in the market.