Race for MTNL's Wireless Tenders

Chinese telecom equipment makers are the front-runners for tenders floated by Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) for the expansion of its cellular mobile and wireless in local loop - mobile (WLL-M) services. 

While Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd (HFCL) quoting Huawei's equipment is the lowest bidder for the WLL-M Garuda service in Delhi, Motorola is ahead in the race for MTNL's cellular service, Dolphin. The key equipment in Motorola's global system for mobile (GSM) cellular bid - mobile switching centres (MSC) - are of Chinese make. 

MTNL has already opened the financial bids for both the tenders. HFCL has quoted a price of Rs 167 crore for Delhi Garuda's 4 lakh line code division multiple access-based WLL-M expansion, while the highest bidder Nortel sought Rs 228 crore for the job. Motorola's bid was for Rs 373 crore for the GSM-based Dolphin's 8 lakh line expansion (4 lakh lines each in Delhi and Mumbai). The highest bidder in this case, Ericsson, had put in a bid quoting Rs 880
crore. 

As for the CDMA expansion in Delhi is concerned, Huawei is closely followed by ZTE Corporation (front-ended by UTL) with a bid of around Rs 172 crore. The third slot is occupied by Motorola with a bid of around Rs 184 crore followed by Ericsson with a commercial bid of around Rs 194 crore. Nortel has bid for around Rs 228 crore. The same players have bid for Mumbai expansion too. LG, which bid only for Mumbai, bid for around Rs 350
crore. 

In the GSM-based cellular sweepstakes, Motorola is followed by Alcatel which has submitted a bid for around Rs 399 crore. Huawei has bid at a price of Rs 428 crore with Nortel next at Rs 520 crores. Siemens has asked for Rs 607 crore and Ericsson for Rs 880 crore to supply the equipment.