SK Telecom to advance into Russian market
SK Telecom, Korea's largest wireless company, said yesterday that it was advancing
into the Russian mobile telecom market, officials said.
Officials said that SK concluded a service contract with Daghestan Cellular Network,
Daghestan's exclusive mobile telecom operator.
Under the contract, SK Telecom would contribute analogue equipment to DCN. In
return, SK will hold a 49 percent stake of DCN and become its second largest
shareholder.
"We have managed to minimize expenses for entering the Russian market by utilizing
idle equipment. We also feel that by advancing into Daghestan, we have established a
beachhead in making inroads into Russia and the CIS where less than one percent of
the population uses wireless telecom service," said Park Myong-wook, an official of
SK.
SK also hopes to offer second generation CDMA (code division multiple access)
service jointly with Dagsvijazinform, the mother company of DCN, Park said.
DCN was established in 1996 by Dagsvijazinform, Daghestan's dominant fixed line
telecom operator, and has been offering analogue service using Samsung Electronics
AMPS equipment. However, it has stopped receiving new subscribers due to
suspension of production of AMPS equipment.
In this context, SK believes it was an opportune time for investment. SK forecasts that it
can easily secure 100,000 subscribers by 2005.
Daghestan is a republic located between Caspian Sea and Caucasus Mountain ranges
with a population of 2.5 million people. Among the 89 republics of CIS, it is seen as an
area with great potential for growth in the wake of discovery of large-scale oil field along
the coast of Caspian Sea. (KMH) |
