Russia's Sistema May Test Fixed-mobile Convergence in Apr 2007

MOSCOW, July 28 (Prime-Tass) -- Telecommunications operators controlled by major Russian holding AFK Sistema may start testing fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) services in April-May 2007, Sergei Shchebetov, general director of Sistema Telecom, told reporters Friday.

Sistema Telecom manages the telecommunications assets of AFK Sistema.

FMC services are likely to become available to 5,000 users in Moscow, Shchebetov said, adding that telecom operators were currently working on the introduction of a universal message center, a "single number" service and Voice over IP (VoIP) service.

AFK Sistema controls Russia?s largest mobile operator Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), fixed-line operator and Internet provider Comstar United Telesystems, or Comstar UTS, as well as holds 50% stakes in CDMA mobile operator Sky Link and telecommunications operator and long-distance provider Multiregional TransitTelecom (MTT).

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Posted to the site on 29th July 2006