"MegaFon" monopolized the Petersburg subway

"MegaFon" monopolized the Petersburg subway
It became known why in tunnels of the St. Petersburg subway one mobile network operator – "MegaFon" works


It became known why in tunnels of the St. Petersburg subway one mobile network operator – "MegaFon" works, and the others are compelled to be content with a covering only at stations.

As it appeared, "MegaFon" which laid the slot-hole radiating cable in tunnels, according to the informed insider source familiar with a situation, still did not hand over it as object of communication to Roskomnadzor – and if so, operation is not considered commercial; formally the operator conducts testing of work of cellular communication in subway tunnels.

Let's remind, originally, when the cable only was laid by the company "Metrocom" (some years belongs to "MegaFon"), operators signed the memorandum of non-discriminatory access to it. However now other operators cannot receive specifications on connection. Negotiations with "MegaFon" to anything do not lead, the director of Northwest branch of "Vympelcom" Andrey Kovtonyuk complains.

It turns out that "MegaFon" can consciously not hand over a construction to Roskomnadzor not to satisfy conditions of the memorandum and thus to use communication in tunnels as the "unique competitive advantage". However test operation means rendering of services to subscribers on a free basis – "MegaFon" rates communication in the subway.

"MegaFon" in any way does not make comments on a situation. Other operators cannot lay an own parallel cable as in tunnels for it there is no place. More precisely, the place is, but not where it is necessary – that the cable provided communication in moving cars, it has to be laid exactly at the level of window leaves and in any other place.

Thus all other operators are extremely interested in ensuring communication in tunnels. If a few years ago this direction was not priority as was considered that because of noise in trains will talk all the same very few people, it became now obvious that the main direction use of the radiating cable is a data transmission. The passenger of the subway – almost ideal user of this service as it has a certain interval of free time during which it is necessary to occupy itself with something, and thus at it is not present other ways of connection to the Internet (when free time arises at home, at office or in other public place, the probability of existence of alternative in the form of free Wi-Fi there is great).

Moreover, it is possible to sell Internet access in the subway even separately as service about a premium subscription. However the Russian operators, unlike foreign, yet did not master such way of monetization.



Shatilin Ilya
TelecomDaily
 No. of 16.05.14