Tele2 will drive to Moscow on shoulders of "MegaFon"

The fourth federal mobile operator – joint venture of "Rostelecom" and Tele2 – can start working in Moscow this year


The fourth federal mobile operator – joint venture of "Rostelecom" and Tele2 – can start working in Moscow this year. He agrees about creation of the virtual operator with "MegaFon".

The joint venture of state "Rostelecom" and Tele2 Russia – "T2 PTK holding" looks for the partner among the companies cellular "the big three", told "Sheets" of people, working with the operator. It was confirmed by two top managers of "Rostelecom", and also employees of two operators of "the big three".

It is about creation of the virtual operator (Mobile Virtual Network Operator, MVNO) for work in Moscow and three more large Russian cities – Astrakhan, Samara and Ufa. In these cities Tele2 and "Rostelecom" have no frequencies of 900 and 1800 MHz, necessary to provide basic service to voice mobile communication in the GSM standard. Their joint venture (JV) has there other frequencies allowing to work in standards 3G and 4G, but 3G-networks usually cover territories of the cities and areas not entirely, and in 4G while only mobile Internet access, and a voice communication – no, is possible.

The operator using the equipment and frequencies of other company, but service the bill rendering on its own behalf and independently making out subscribers is called virtual. Further all negotiations of Tele2 (under such brand T2 PTK holding" will work ") with "MegaFon" promoted, interlocutors of "Sheets" know. The joint venture thinks that to offer "MegaFon" in exchange for its resources, adds one of them.

Earlier it was supposed that the joint venture will start working in Moscow not earlier than 2015. But if the parties agree, the agreement can come into force at once upon completion of the second stage of the transaction on association of mobile assets of "Rostelecom" and Tele2, interlocutors of "Sheets" know. And the second stage will be closed already very soon – within several weeks, the president of "Rostelecom" Sergey Kalugin promised on May 27.

The agreement will give advantage to that from operators of "the big three" who will imprison him, other interlocutor of "Sheets" considers. Tele2 traditionally worked as discounter, its entry into the new markets usually was followed by loss of a share of local participants of the market, the new operator will apply the same tactics for certain and in Moscow, he argues. But Moscow – the market special: for example, "Vympelcom" admitted that earns here 40% of all Russian revenue therefore none of the operators working in the capital are not interested in such succession of events, the interlocutor of "Sheets" states. Having concluded the agreement on MVNO with Tele2, the operator of "the big three" will receive the lever of influence on the partner.

The Moscow tariffs – not the only thing, than the joint venture can bargain with the potential partner. In inheritance – "daughters" of "Rostelecom" – this company received the Moscow frequency of 2100 MHz which the State commission on radio frequencies in 2011 allowed to use for construction of a network 3G from "Sky Link". Other strips in this range were distributed between operators of "the big three" even in the spring of 2007, and they constructed on them networks 3G – but with restrictions. The matter is that the strategic military facility near Serpukhov therefore also quantity of base stations, and height of their subweight, and orientation of their antennas are strictly regulated works at the same frequencies. And here on frequencies of "Sky Link" of such restrictions it is not imposed, top managers of two large mobile network operators told "Sheets".

"Rostelecom" already tried to agree with "MegaFon" about creation of the virtual operator in 2011. Then the state company was headed by Alexander Provotorov, nowadays the first deputy general director of Tele2. The people participating in negotiations three years ago tell that "MegaFon" developed then a special line of tariffs on which operators had to pay with each other for every minute of a call and a sms, but the transaction broke. If now Tele2 and "MegaFon" agree, the scheme of mutual settlements will be essentially same, interlocutors of "Sheets" are sure.

In Russia some virtual operators – in particular, the project of "Multiregional Transit Telecom" (MTT) on the basis of MTS already work. The scheme of mutual settlements of MTT with MTS same: MTT pays the partner the fixed price in every minute of conversation of the subscriber which is slightly lower than a commercial tariff, the person close to one of partners (officially MTS and MTT of a condition of partnership do not open) speaks.

"MegaFon" does not open business plans, now in Moscow it with anybody has no arrangements on creation of the virtual operator, the representative tells it. MTS is not interested in similar partnership, the representative Dmitry Solodovnikov told it. He reminds that the operator is focused on MVNO projects under concrete business challenges – for example, rendering convergent services in the project with MGTS, involvement of new users in the project with "Coherent", increase of profitability of services of an international telecommunication in the project with MTT. The representative of "Vympelcom" refused comments as also the representative of "T2 PTK of holding" arrived.



Elizabeth Sergina
Sheets
 No. 94 of 28.05.14