Cellular service may be coming to New York City subway stations. After nearly three years of bidding and proposals, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that Transit Wireless has won the bid to wire all 277 underground stations for cell phone use, though service will not extend into the tunnels.

Transit Wireless, a joint venture involving Nab Construction, Q-Wireless, Dianet Communications and Transit Technologies, has agreed to pay the MTA a minimum of $46.8 million over 10 years, as well as paying the full cost of building the wireless network, which is estimated to fall between $150 and $200 million. Under the agreement, wireless carriers will pay Transit Wireless to carry their signals over the network once its built.

The service will start with six stations in Manhattan. Transit Wireless expects to finish wiring those stations within two years; if all goes well, then the company will have four more years to wire the remainder of the MTA's subway stations.

The carriers, some of whom filed a competing bid with the MTA, have yet to comment about the deal, which will most likely be finalized next week.