MTNL is the goliath among the Davids. But the Davids always have a better aim.
MTNL is in the primary business of providing telephone service. But in todays technology oriented society telephone service is no more the basic voice service. Data circuits, cellular service, video conferencing, lease lines, ISDNs, I-Nets etc are some of the technological advances.
But the sad part of the story is that the people at MTNL does not differentiate these various technologies. To them everything is just telephone. They have not understood the importance of data flowing over these circuits. The linesmen just knows that there are 2 wires at either ends. It is very difficult to convince them that disruption in data lines could mean great loss to an organisation.
As long as the people at MTNL see the service as wires carry telephone signals and do not see the technological difference and the criticality of data services used by banks and other organisation for Online Banking, ATMs, Telebanking etc, no amount of improvement in their service can be expected.
MTNL must realise that their business also depends on the maximum uptime of these lines. Everytime the lines remain connected they earn valuable revenue. The private players have realised the importance of max. uptime and guarantee the same.
I believe competition will improve MTNL.