VimpelCom and Summa Telecom failed to secure any GSM licences in the most recent tender for thirteen licences in five Siberian regions, Russian news site Cnews reports. Sky Link subsidiary Novosibirskaya Sotovaya Svyaz – 450 has won licences for 1800MHz services in all regions excluding the Irkutsk region, while Sibirtelecom’s subsidiary Baikalvestcom won 1800MHz licences in the Chita region, Aginsko-Buryatsky region and both 1800MHz and 900MHz licences in the Ust-Ordynsky region. Svyazinvest company Akos further secured a licence in the Aginsko-Buryatsky region, Tele2 Kemerovo won a licence for the Tomsk region and Vladivostok New Telephone won a 1800MHz licence in the Aginsko-Buryatsky region and a 900/1800MHz licence in the Ust-Ordynsky region. Sky Link put in eleven bids for itself and daughter companies in various regions. MegaFon entered 8 bids while VimpelCom and MTS each entered 3 bids. Other bidders included Volgatelecom, Smarts, as well as new entrants Strimton, FirmaGeocom and Summa Telecom. The latter already won some licences in the Far East and the Ural in earlier tenders.
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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.
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Russian communications group Svyazinvest plans to sell its mobile operators within the next eighteen months, the Kommersant reports citing general dirctor Alexander Kiselev. The group believes that the regional mobile operators do not have the capability to provide 3G services and wants to sell the mobile assets before the value drops too much. The plan has not yet been approved by Svyazinvest’s board of directors. The assets are estimated to sell for USD 1.5 to USD 3 billion. Reportedly, mobile operator VimpelCom is interested in far east operator Dalsvyaz and Volga regional operator Smarts has expressed interest in Volgatelecom.
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Telegeography writes…VolgaTelecom has launched GSM mobile services in Penza under the ON brand name, via its local subsidiary Penza Mobile, which simultaneously discontinued its old D-AMPS service. Penza Mobile is VolgaTelecom’s ninth GSM subsidiary in the Volga region. The company plans on installing more than 100 base stations in Penza city and oblast by the end of this year, with network capacity for around 200,000 subscribers.
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Sky Link big winner in Siberia GSM licence tender (Russia)
