(23 June 2008 1:30 pm)

MUMBAI: In a bid to expand its Internet Protocol (IP) network, the state-run Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) has floated a Rs 2.5 billion tender for building a Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) based network.

With the network in place, MTNL will be able to provide services including data, voice and video, says a PTI report.

ISPs, corporates, institutions, government bodies and retail users will also benefit with the project, as it will be the primary source of Internet bandwidth for them.

MTNL, with this infrastructure in place, will be able to introduce additional services like bandwidth-on-demand, TV Broadcast with minimum 5,000 channels (SDTV and HDTV), VoIP and others over the same network.

MTNL is poised to offer a variety of high-speed data and video services and for that it needs such infrastructure, says the report.