Russian CDMA Operator Partners with Microsoft

MOSCOW, Feb 27 (Prime-Tass) -- Russian CDMA mobile operator Sky Link and Microsoft are expected to offer a new data transfer solution, called Sky Office, for small and medium businesses sometime in October-December, the companies said at a joint news conference Tuesday.

The Microsoft Outlook-based solution will allow users to exchange data using mobile Internet service provided by Sky Link. In addition to voice communications and e-mail, Sky Office will offer video conference calls and data storage on Sky Link?s Web portal.

The operator is in talks with foreign 3G networks to allow the use of Sky Office beyond the area covered by Sky Link, said General Director Alexander Nesterov.

Internet roaming is currently available in 27 Russian regions and Latvia and voice roaming is also available in Belarus and Moldova.

Sistema Telecom, Sky Link?s parent company, and Microsoft Rus signed a memorandum of cooperation in October 2006 to develop new telecom solutions.

Sky Link, which operates in the CDMA 450 standard, had 440,000 users in 27 Russian regions as of December 31, 2006, including 194,000 users in Moscow. Major Russian holding AFK Sistema holds a 50% stake in Sky Link through Sistema Telecom.

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Posted to the site on 27th February 2007