Russia's VolgaTelecom Says to Merge its Mobile Assets

MOSCOW, Mar 15 (Prime-Tass) -- The board of directors of Russia's regional fixed-line operator VolgaTelecom has decided to merge its mobile assets into its Nizhegorodskaya Sotovaya Svyaz, or NSS, mobile operator, VolgaTelecom said in a statement Wednesday.

Under VolgaTelecom's strategy of mobile business development approved by its board, VolgaTelecom will merge all mobile companies in which it has stakes, VolgaTelecom said.

VolgaTelecom also plans to increase the effectiveness of its mobile business through the integration of its mobile and fixed-line assets, the company said.

The consolidated mobile subscriber base of VolgaTelecom rose 70.4% in 2005 to 1.89 million users as of January 1, VolgaTelecom said.

VolgaTelecom has stakes in eight mobile operators, namely, 100% in NSS, or Nizhny Novgorod Cellular Communications; 100% in Mordovia?s RTKOM; 60% in Ulyanovsk GSM; 51% in Orenburg GSM; 50% plus one share in Tatincom-T, based in Tatarstan; 50% in Saratov Mobile; 40% in Penza Mobile; and 30% in Chuvashia Mobile. In Mari El, VolgaTelecom provides mobile services through its branch in the republic.

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Posted to the site on 15th March 2006