New Delhi: Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) has decided to bid for setting up both basic (fixed) and cellular services in Nepal. In a meeting today, the board has decided that MTNL along with TCIL will participate in the bid. The last date for submitting the bid is July 3, MTNL chairman and manging dirctor S Rajagopalan said. However, the board has rejected the proposal for submitting a bid for Kenya and Tanzania. Rajagopalan said that the board members felt that the risk to enter these two countries will not be limited and it would not turn out to be a good business proposition.Meanwhile, MTNL has been shortlisted by Bangladesh, for setting up 3,00,000 fixed lines in Dhaka. The other companies who have also been shortlisted for the project include TCIL and WorldTel. A final decision by the Bangladesh Government is expected in July.
However, the company, which had also bid for setting up telecom services in Uganda, was not selected. According to Rajagopalan, the company had given a bid of $22 million. However, it failed to get the contract. Rajagopalan feels that MTNL needs to hone up its marketing and bidding skills to tap the vast potential of the African market, which is yet to be opened up.
Meanwhile, in today's meeting, the board has also decided to give the MTNL management the freedom to decide the content providers for its Web site on the condition that it has to be on a non-exclusive basis. According to Rajagopalan, the company is currently talking to Satyam Online and Rediff for content development and a final decision in this context will be taken soon.
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