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Sibirtelecom sees 6% rise in 1H07 profits (Russia)

  • October 3rd, 2007
  • 1:44 pm

Svyazinvest’s Siberian subsidiary Sibiretelecom has reported a 6% increase in first-half net profit to RUB1.93 billion (USD77.6 million). Revenues for the six months to the end of June stood at RUB17 billion, up from RUB14.13 billion a year earlier. Operating expenses climbed from RUB1.91 billion to RUB2.28 billion.Sibirtelecom offers fixed line and mobile services across eastern Russia and claimed 3.7 million mobile subscribers and 4.2 million fixed line customers at the end of June.

   

 

Sibirtelecom signs up 100,000 broadband users

  • July 17th, 2007
  • 2:59 pm

Russian regional telco Sibirtelecom has increased its broadband internet subscriber base by 53.8% since the beginning of the year to reach a total of 100,000 by the end of June. By the end of 2007 the operator says it expects to reach a base of 200,000, and plans to achieve its goal via the offering of unlimited usage tariff plans, the gradual decreasing of existing tariffs, and additional value added services, such as its Sibnet.ru content portal, launched last month.

   

 

 

Svyazinvest mulls wireless sale (Russia)

  • June 27th, 2007
  • 7:33 am

Russia’s state-backed telecoms holding group Svyazinvest is considering the sale of its mobile assets, although the move is likely to be blocked by some shareholders. A report from Cnews quotes Svyazinvest director general Alexander Kiselev, who says: ‘Not having a licence for the 3G mobile network, our mobile assets have no prospects in the market; that is why they should be sold.’ He believes that the peak market value will be reached within the next eighteen months, with analysts estimating the combined sale price at between USD1.5 billion and USD3 billion.

Svyazinvest is Russia’s largest fixed line operator, offering services via seven mega-regional subsidiaries plus long-distance arm Rostelecom. Four of the regional operators – Volgatelecom, Sibirtelecom, Uralsvyazinform and Dalsvyaz – also provide GSM cellular services, although their combined subscriber base of just over ten million represents only around 6.5% of the total Russian mobile market. Local press reports claim the country’s second largest cellular operator by subscribers, Vimpelcom, is interested in acquiring the mobile assets of Dalsvyaz, while the Volga regional operator SMARTS is linked with the Volgatelecom GSM networks.

The move to sell off the cellular networks may run into opposition from other shareholders though. The Sistema group, whose 51% subsidiary Comstar UTS holds a blocking stake of 25% plus one share in Svyazinvest, has suggested that the mobile assets should be merged into a single operation which can then enlarge its footprint via wholesale network sharing deals or through spectrum acquisitions. Three firms have national 3G concessions in Russia – Vimpelcom, MTS and MegaFon.