The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is currently soliciting bids for Wireless Broadband Services for the MTA Long Island Rail Road and MTA Metro-North Railroad. MTA has estimated this project to exceed $20 million. On May 3, 2010, MTA released Addendum #1, which extends the proposal due date to May 31, 2010. The addendum also provides some long-awaited information on the vendors who responded to the Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) that was issued in July 2009.

The vendors who responded to the RFEI include:

• ALSTROM Transport Information and Security Inc
• AT&T
• Cablevision
• EIA Datacom Inc
• Ericsson Inc
• Icomera
• JiWire Inc
• Long Range Communications
• Manovega Communications
• Mastech Enterprises Inc
• Nomad Digital Limited
• PierCon Solutions LLC
• The Railband Group LLC
• Sprint
• SurfLink LLC
• Terminal Exchange Systems
• Verizon Wireless
• WAAV Inc
• WNIS Companies

The vendors who responded to the RFEI and also met with MTA include:

• AT&T
• Cablevision
• Ericsson Inc
• Nomad Digital Limited
• The Railband Group LLC
• Verizon Wireless
• WAAV Inc

The vendors who attended the pre-proposal conference for the current RFP include:

• AT&T
• Bombardier
• Cablevision
• Com-Logic Partners LLC
• Concourse Communications
• Cozen O'Connor
• General Dynamics
• GE Transportation- Intelligent Controls Systems
• Greenberg Trauig LLP
• Interactive Elements Inc
• Mobilite
• Nomad Digital LTD
• Railband Group
• Siemens
• Snyder & Snyder LLP
• Verizon
• Verizon Wireless
• WAAV Inc

As you can see, this project is highly competitive and there is a lot of money at stake. INPUT estimates that a contract for this project will not be awarded until fall 2010. For more information on this project, please see INPUT Opportunity #57465.