The consortium appointed several months ago by Russian authorities to investigate the conditions of LTE deployment was finally formed this past Monday, reports Russian business daily Vedomosti.
The consortium is composed of leading national mobile operators MTS, VimpelCom, and MegaFon, in cooperation with state fixed-telephony operator Rostelecom. Its investigations were expected to be completed by July 2011, but representatives of the mobile operators recently expressed doubt that the consortium could meet the deadline.
Tele2, the subsidiary of the Swedish group that aims to develop 4G activities in Russia, has sought to take part in the consortium, submitting a formal request to Russian authorities. The request, however, has gone unanswered, says the company.
Update Apr. 27, 2011
TransTeleCom (TTK), a subsidiary of Russian Railways (RZD), has asked to join the consortium. The TTK network covers territories inhabited by 93% of the country’s population, says the company.
