India's Reliance Communications has protested state-owned BSNL's decision to pull the plug on interconnections between the operators' networks in two regions.
According to RCom, BSNL disconnected points of interconnect in Punjab and Haryana last month in retaliation over a long-running disagreement over levies, Times of India reported.
BSNL's decision to shut off the PoIs had resulted in 8 million mobile customers left unable to call each other, RCom said in a statement sent to the Economic Times.
The companies have been at odds since 2004 over RCom's Access Deficit Charge, its contribution to BSNL's universal service obligations.
RCom insists it has paid BSNL 5.33 billion rupees ($118.8 million) towards a settlement for the dispute over the charge being fought in the Supreme Court.
But BSNL recently made more demands for compensation under the ADC. In all, the operator reportedly claims RCom still owes around 2 billion rupees in dues – an allegation RCom denies.
The private operator has called BSNL's demands for more compensation arbitrary, and says the sum was calculated using flawed methodology.