Frequency of the Crimean thoughts

The state commission on radio frequencies allocated to the K-telecom company the range in the Crimea belonging to the Ukrainian MTS


On May 27 the State commission on radio frequencies allocated to the unknown company "K-telecom" the range in the Crimea belonging to the Ukrainian MTS. With the same name MTS has "daughter".

About a meeting of State commission on radio frequencies (GKRCh) and the decision made at it "Sheets" were told by top managers of two large communications operators and the person, close to GKRCh. It is about frequencies of GSM which MTS already actually uses in the Crimea, – 900 and 1800 MHz, and also about frequencies for the third generation of mobile communication, explains one of them.

In a database of "SPARK-Interfax" – four JSC K-telecom, three of Sverdlovsk region and one of Moscow. The last is registered on May 15, 2014 and for 100% MTS belongs. JSC K-telecom belonging to MTS did not get any frequency permissions from GKRCh, the representative of MTS Elena Kokhanovskaya speaks. She refused to discuss a question of the Crimean frequencies. The manager of one of the communications operators working in the Crimea heard that the "K-telecom" which received frequencies is registered in Krasnodar Krai on May 23. In "SPARK-Interfax" of such company it was not succeeded to find.

In the Crimea the branch of Ukrainian "daughter" of MTS – "MTS Ukraine" – on the basis of the licenses for frequencies granted by the Ukrainian authorities works. Till January 1, 2015 in the Crimea the transition period works: will work both Ukrainian, and the Russian laws. Neither heads of MTS, nor representatives of VimpelCom Ltd. (in the Crimea the branch of his 100% "daughter" – "Kiyevstar" works) do not speak as plan to work in the Crimea. Informally both companies warn that it is very sensitive question because an ultimate goal – to keep and business in the Crimea, and the normal relations both with Russian, and with the Ukrainian authorities. Nevertheless MTS as the basic considers option of sale of the Crimean business, the manager of one of the communications operators working in the Crimea knows.

At the end of April the law on occupied territories started acting on Ukraine. Initially it contained a ban on any licensed activity in the Crimea for the Ukrainian companies. But later the Verkhovna Rada excluded all economic block from the project, having promised to adopt the separate law. From what will be this law, depends, whether the company will continue work in the Crimea and how exactly, the person close to one of the Ukrainian mobile operators spoke.

One more factor influencing decisions of mobile network operators – risk of sanctions from the West. "We will consider a question of imposition of sanctions against natural persons and the organizations if it is decided that their activity falls under action of the decrees of the president connected with Ukraine" – the representative of the Ministry of Finance of the USA so answered a question of possibility of work of the Russian mobile operators in the Crimea.

As sanctions are directed against particular persons and fields of activity, the company or its activity have to be connected somehow with them, Erick Ferrari, the head of the Washington law firm Ferrari & Associates explains. Work of the Russian mobile operators in the Crimea is not represented to it such case, and Ferrari does not seem that they are threatened by direct danger to fall under sanctions.

Did not solve while how to organize the Crimean communication, and the Russian authorities. Will not take away the license they – under the law "About Acceptance to the Russian Federation of the Republic of Crimea" the Ukrainian licenses in Sevastopol and to the Crimea work without restriction of term of their action and any confirmation from state agencies of Russia – except for bank licenses.

The Russian authorities are faced also by a communication safety issue. Switchboards of all mobile operators working in the Crimea are located in Ukraine and all voice traffic passes through them, the owner of one of the Ukrainian communications operators and the employee of the Russian operator working at Ukraine know. And use mobile communication in the Crimea including the Russian military – it turns out, all their conversations pass through the territory of Ukraine, one of interlocutors of "Sheets" is surprised.

Creation in the Crimea of the Russian mobile operator will solve not only safety issues – he can become the reliable roaming partner for operators who do not work in the Crimea or will leave the Crimea, the top manager of one of the Russian communications operators speaks.

The representative of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications (supervises GKRCh) Ekaterina Osadchaya says that she does not know of a meeting of the commission.

Direct speech

Sergey Aksenov, acting head of the Republic of Crimea: "We already think of that to create the Crimean operator. And that large (Russian) operators are attached to western "daughters", fear sanctions like the plague, do not hurry to come into the Crimea".



Oleg Salmanov, Elizabeth Sergina, Mikhail Overchenko
Sheets
 No. 94 of 28.05.14