Norilsk Telecom (NT), one of the largest fixed-line and broadband operators in the Krasnoyarsk region, is up for sale again. The company’s only shareholder, investment bank KIT Finance, hopes to sell the asset before the year’s end. A few potential buyers have emerged.
KIT Finance acquired NT from Norilsk Nickel in 2008. Over the past two years it has tried without success to sell the company, negotiating with leading telecom companies MegaFon, VimpelCom, Comstar, and Svyazinvest Group. At issue is the price of the asset.
According to iKS-Consulting, a consulting and research company specializing in the telecom market in Russia and CIS, Norilsk Telecom serves 10,000-12,000 broadband subscribers, approximately a quarter of the entire local market. The company also provides pay-TV services: in that segment it has 7,000 thousand subscribers, or 16% of the pay-TV market in Norilsk.
Source: RBC Daily
