Last week, the Russian business daily Vedomosti reported that the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) received a joint request from mobile operator Megafon and WiMAx operator Scartel, which operates under the Yota brand, to authorize a merger. Head of FAS Igor Artemyev stated that the merger could be authorized under the condition that Scartel makes its LTE …
2011 was a rather disappointing year for M&A both globally and in Russia. Compared to the 6% decline in the value of global M&A deals, Russia’s M&A market experienced an even stronger reduction in value, by almost 28%. This is a sign of its continuing higher volatility, but also the result of fewer mega deals …
Report: M&A in the Russian communications and media sector in 2011 and early 2012 Read More
Vimpelcom, a leading Russian mobile operator with a broad international presence, announced last week that it would sell its 49% stake in Vietnam’s GTel Mobile, a JV it had set up in mid-2009 with local Global Telecommunications Corporation. Under the terms of the $45 million deal, the Russian telco is relinquishing operational control of GTel …
RBC Daily reported earlier this week that Scartel, the leading Russian WiMAX operator operating under the Yota brand, is considering selling its Belorussian subsidiary, Yota Bel, just a few months after starting operations in this country of almost 10 million inhabitants. Such a move would confirm Scartel’s intention to focus more on Russia rather than …
Scartel to focus on Russia, attempts to sell Belorussian subsidiary Read More
Just two months after it began serving Kazakhstan, Biglion, the leading Russian daily deal site, has acquired Bongo.by, a Belorussian analog. The transaction was announced yesterday by Biglion’s Development Director Oleg Savtsov in an exchange with Russian business daily Kommersant. Savtsov did not disclose the amount of the deal, but Kommersant reported that Bongo.by is …
Fast Lane Ventures announced last week it has agreed to sell its stake in the TV and online teleshopping company Shopping Live to the German group Home Shopping Europe for an undisclosed amount. A 24-hour channel, Shopping Live offers live programming up to five hours per day. The channel is currently represented on such major …
Fast Lane sells teleshopping company to German group Read More
Kupikupon.ru, a major daily deal site, has acquired Moresalonov.ru, an online booking service for beauty salons, for an undisclosed amount, reported Unova, a Russian site dedicated to high tech and venture news. The clients of Kupikupon.ru will be able to plan visits to beauty salons and book appointments more easily. Bookings for restaurants, car maintenance, and …
Daily deal site Kupikupon.ru aquires beauty salon booking service Read More
1C, the Russian enterprise software giant, has acquired a 51% stake in Megaplan, a publisher of cloud-based business service solutions, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported yesterday. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The Russian management company IQ One, an early investor in Megaplan, has kept a blocking minority share in the …
Leading Russian business software publisher 1C acquires cloud solution developer Megaplan Read More
The Russian mobile operator MTS is considering selling a stake of its online paid video site Omlet.ru, the operator’s VP of Marketing Vasily Latsanich announced earlier this week at a press conference. “A content business should be separated from a mobile operator’s business, and we are not the only ones on the market to believe so,” …
Mobile operator MTS could sell part of its online video business Read More
Last week, Rostelecom, the Russian national telecom operator, announced two acquisitions almost simultaneously, reflecting its ambitions to integrate a variety of networks and services across Russia and assert itself as a universal operator. The company announced it consolidated its ownership of NTK, a leading cable operator, of which it had already bought a 71.8% stake …
Rostelecom consolidates ownership of cable operator NTK Read More
Asserting its leadership in the fast-growing Russian e-commerce market, Ozon.ru confirmed yesterday the full acquisition of leading online shoe and accessory retailer Sapato.ru for an undisclosed amount, partly paid with shares. Ozon’s intentions had been revealed earlier this month when the Russian antimonopoly authorities gave their green light for the deal.
Russia’s national telecom operator Rostelecom yesterday announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Teleset Networks, has invested 682 million rubles ($22.5 million) to take a 75% minus one share stake in GNC-ALFA, the largest independent Internet and data provider in Armenia. “This is the first acquisition outside of Russia that we have concluded as part of our …
Rostelecom acquires majority stake in Armenian Internet and data provider GNC-ALFA Read More
