Metromedia International Group Enters Cable Television Market in Capital of Kyrgyzstan
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 14, 1999--
Company's Cable Systems Will Now Pass More Than 10 Million Households
Metromedia International Group, Inc. (MMG:AMEX), through its wholly owned subsidiary, Metromedia International Telecommunications, Inc. ("MITI") announced today the commencement of operations of its joint venture, Ala-TV, to provide cable television and data communications services in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. The venture is owned 51% by MITI, 4% by MITI's Kazakh joint venture, Alma-TV and 45% by local partners in Bishkek. With the addition of Bishkek's 220,000 households, MMG cable television ventures now cover more than ten million households in sixteen cities in Eastern Europe and the CIS.
Ala-TV will deliver cable television services via MMDS and hybrid fiber coaxial cable, similar to MITI's joint ventures in Almaty, Karaganda, Aktau and Ust Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan. In addition, by utilizing both hybrid fiber coaxial cable and MMDS frequencies, Ala-TV will be able to provide high speed Internet access.
Stuart Subotnick, President and CEO of Metromedia International Group, said, "We are very pleased to begin providing services in the city of Bishkek. This is our first operation serving this important city, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, which boasts gold production and agricultural products as main economic activities and was the first CIS member to join the World Trade Organization. With a population just short of one million people, Bishkek has one of the most favorable foreign investment climates in the CIS, according to the U.S. Department of State."
Metromedia International Group, Inc. is a global communications and media company. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Metromedia International Telecommunications, Inc., the Company owns and operates communications and media businesses in Eastern Europe, the Republics of the former Soviet Union and other emerging markets. These businesses include wireless and wired cable television stations; radio broadcasting; paging operations; and telephone operations including GSM cellular, international toll calling, fixed wireless local loop and trunk mobile radio. Through its approximately 58% ownership of Metromedia China Corp., MITI operates ventures supporting Public Switched Telephone Networks and GSM systems in China. |
