BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

06-10-2005

Belarus' BeST to buy $234 mln equipment from Alcatel Shanghai

MOSCOW, MINSK, Oct 5 (Prime-Tass) -- Belarus' state-controlled mobile operator Belarus Telecommunications Network, or BeST, has signed an agreement with China's Alcatel Shanghai Bell to purchase the Chinese company's telecommunications equipment for U.S. $234 million, BeST said Wednesday. The deal was closed on September 26. Alcatel Shanghai Bell received a contract at a tender on June 29 to supply equipment to BeST and since then the two companies have been finalizing the deal. On September 1, Belarus' Communications Minister Vladimir Goncharenko said that Alcatel Shanghai Bell supplied the first batch of $10 million in telecommunications equipment to BeST in advance. BeST is expected to pay for the equipment from attracted funds, including a $50 million loan provided to the company by the Chinese government, BeST said, adding that the remaining amount is expected to be provided by unspecified Chinese banks. BeST was registered on November 5, 2004 and received a license to provide communication services in Belarus on March 24, 2005. BeST was set up by Belarus' state-controlled fixed-line monopoly Beltelecom, which controls 25% in the company, and state-owned company Agat, which controls 75%. BeST said it planned to start commercial operation by the end of this year and to attract 500,000-600,000 subscribers by the end of 2006. The total number of subscribers in Belarus amounts 3.6 million as of October 1.

Source:

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14313.php

Google