ARMENTEL DEPRIVED OF YET ANOTHER MONOPOLY

Noyan Tapan
Dec 18 2006

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The company ArmenTel has been
deprived of some of its exclusive rights. The RA Public Services
Regulatory Commission on December 18 took a decision to make an
amendment in ArmenTel’s licence No 60, liberalizing the international
transmission of the mobile phone connection and the Internet. The
two mobile phone operators in Armenia – ArmenTel and K-Telecom were
instructed to discuss and submit to the commssion an agreement on
mutual provision of international voice services until February
1, 2007.

It was announced at the sitting that after consulting with the
companies Vympelkom and ArmenTel, the commission will again amend
the licence until March 1, 2007, taking into account the necessity
to abolish the exclusive rights reserved for ArmenTel. It was noted
that Vympelkon has repeatedly stated its intention to renounce the
exclusive rights reserved for ArmenTel in case of acquiring 90%
of ArmenTel’s shares.