October 26, 2009 | In an effort to enhance its coverage within indoors India's state-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd., or MTNL, has sought bids for the deployment of Femto cell solutions in its third generation, or 3G, networks in the northern city of Delhi and the western city of Mumbai.

The tender is a two-staged process involving a pilot project which will act as trail of the solution and then the actual deployment of the solution on terms and conditions to be decided later on.

Under the first stage, vendors will have to deploy their respective femtocell solutions numbering atleast 20 in the area allotted by MTNL. The vendor will have to bear the cost of such deployments.

Only those vendors whose solution is found suitable will be considered for stage 2. The business model for deployment of solutions during this process will be decided later on by MTNL in consultation with the vendors.

The vendor will have to provide design & dimensioning, supply of necessary hardware / software, installation, integration with MTNL network elements, testing & measuring equipment. MTNL will provide the space, power, air condition and back haul for the trial period only.