Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited is seeking consultants for its proposed foray into the field of cable TV and associated services in Delhi and Mumbai.

The state run telecom behemoth has stipulated a minimum annual turnover of Rs 250 million for the firm that offers its consultancy services. The Nigam, in a press notice inviting tenders for the consultancy, has asked for details of experience in cable TV consultancy from the firms applying for the deal, as well as details of professional expertise of the key personnel and of specialised manpower, a list of the firms' major clients, outstanding achievements and awards.

Last week, minister of state for telecom Tapan Sikdar had announced the government's intention to enter the cable television business along with a government owned broadcaster. Sikdar had told Parliament that MTNL, being a provider of fixed line, cellular and Internet access services in the two metropolises, could meet customers' needs of entertainment, information and education with such an alliance.

MTNL, Sikdar said, would be granted an alliance to start a cable network using its optic fibre and copper cable network in the two cities. The Nigam would use content provided by Prasar Bharati to offer multimedia services and give customers access to streaming video, he said.