Uralsvyazinform under reorganization

Shareholders have approved plans to reorganize all mobile subsidiaries of Uralsvyazinform, an affiliate of national telecom titan Svyazinvest, into a unified business structure in the first quarter of 2005, according to company sources.

Nortel Networks to upgrade Irkutsk Wi-Fi facilities

Baikalvestcom, an eastern Siberian mobile operator, has signed a contract with Nortel Networks to help expand its capacity for carrying database through Wi-Fi networks and capacity for handling a higher number of telephone calls.

Komikom to be merged with Combellga and Sovintel

Komikom is soon to be merged with Combellga and Sovintel in a maneuver by Golden Telecom to bring its subsidiaries under one legal entity. The merged company will bear all responsibilities and legal obligations of both companies.

Yamal-202 Satellite begins work

PlanetSky’s Yamal-202 Satellite, the third Russian satellite for Internet services, has begun providing subscribers with high-speed access to the Internet. This satellite differs from two other previous satellites — Express-AM22 and NSS-6 — in that it operates in a totally different frequency range. For instance, Express-AM22 signals can be received by small-diameter antennas from Kaliningrad to Irkutsk, while Yamal-202 signals are received from Kaliningrad to Chita.

MTS subscribers increase by 1.09 million clients

Over 1.09 new clients subscribed to Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) in September, pushing the nation’s No. 1 mobile firm’s consolidated number of subscribers to 26.63 million as of September 30, according to reports.

MediaSeti to WiMax networks in Russia

MediaSeti Co., which is working under the Unitline brand, plans to launch a network of broadband radio access to the Internet in 11 Russian regions by the end of 2004, and in over 45 regions in the next two-three years. The first 11 networks will be built on Wi-Fi with KarlNet expansion programs, while the rest will be built on WiMax.

VimpelCom’s annual investments total $137 million in Northwest VimpelCom has invested a total of $137 million in the Northwestern Federal District so far this year, out of which $60 million were invested in St. Petersburg alone. The company controls 18 percent of the regional telecom market.

Another signal-code change at NTV Plus

NTV Plus, a pay-for-view subsidiary of the national channel NTV, has changed its signal code, the second time this year, in a move to prevent unauthorized access to the channel’s programs by pirates. New smart cards are being delivered to subscribers.

SMARTS-Tele2 merger gets green light

The Tax and Revenues Ministry has registered Network Co., a joint-venture project between SMARTS and Tele2, thus giving a legal seal to the new company’s activity. SMARTS and Tele2 Russia own equal stakes in Network Co.