Russian Regional Telecoms To Invest In CDMA -Vedomosti

MOSCOW (Dow Jones)--Several Russian regional state-owned telecommunications companies plan to upgrade old NMT standard assets, or Nordic Mobile Telephone, into the third-generation standard CDMA, Vedomosti newspaper reported Monday.

OAO Uralsvyazinform (URSI.RS), OAO Sibirtelecom (ENCO.RS) and OAO Center Telecom (ESMO.RS) told the paper they are planning to invest between $4.5 million and $6 million each in upgrading their NMT networks to the Code Division Multiple Access standard and start operating them as soon next year.

OAO Svyazinvest (SVV.YY) a holding company for the state-owned regional telecoms, previously followed a plan of selling the NMT assets, saying they were too expensive to upgrade, which were all bought by St. Petersburg-based ZAO Sky Link. Svyazinvest spokesman told the paper that the regional units may still go ahead with the sale of the CDMA assets later on.

Newspaper Web site: http://www.vedomosti.ru

-By Moscow Bureau, Dow Jones Newswires; 7095-974-8055

(END) Dow Jones Newswires "

Posted to the site on 6th December 2004