Given the continued dip in revenue, market share and subscriber base of BSNL and MTNL, the Prime Minister's Office and the Department of Telecom have planned a bailout package for public sector telecom companies. Under the mechanism, there is a plan to allocate 4G spectrum of worth Rs 13,000 crore to public sector telecom companies. There is also a plan to provide Rs 1,100 crore to MTNL to handle voluntary retirement package for its 5,000 employees. The PSU telecom company is said to be surviving on bank loans for its day, today operational activity. MTNL's debt stands at a staggering Rs 17,000 crore, while its annual interest burden is close to Rs 1,450 crore. It suffered a loss of Rs 2,893 crore in 2014-15, Rs 2,005 crore in 2015-16 and Rs 2,970 crore in 2016-17. On the other hand, the accumulated loss of BSNL has now gone up to over Rs 36,000 crore; the public sector telecom company is making losses since 2009-10. Arrival of Mukesh Ambani-headed Jio is said to have further eroded these PSU telecom companies' financial base. According to an estimate, BSNL and MTNL need infusion of about Rs 18,000 crore immediately for their continued operations.