Mobile provider MTS has plans to put up $27 million between now and 2013 to expand its Transbaikalia networks, RIA Novosti reports. Under plans, the firm will bring 3G networks to more than 50 localities and 2G networks to 30,000 people in 28 more towns of Transbaikalia
A $10-million Phase 1 silicon chip production site has been announced for Novosibirsk’s science area of Akademgorodok, Newsib.ru reports. The future market for the new production will reportedly be power electronics, communications and optoelectronics makers in Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Omsk and other Siberian cities.
MTS, Vimpelcom, Megafon and Tele2, the four leading mobile operators in Russia, have all made bids for KT Corp’s 80 percent stake in New Telephone Company (NTC), a major mobile, fixed and IP telephony and Internet operator based in Vladivostok, reports Vedomosti, a Russian business daily.
Microsoft has completed the most recent round of its piracy-monitoring program in Russia, a program that monitors the levels of unlicensed software in retail computer sales. Of 3,229 audited retail outlets in 94 Russian cities, about 20 percent offered pirated software to customers. Eleven percent of the audited retail outlets allowed preinstallation of pirated software.
North-Western Telecom has announced an open tender for $500 million worth of four different lines of credit, the firm said.
Kemerovo region’s Kuzbassky Technopark is to get $28.4 million financial aid from the federal budget in 2011-2014, regional officials report.
National telecom operator VimpelCom, working under Beeline brand, has announced a purchase of 100% shares in Yaroslavl telecom SeverTransCom, working under LANK Telecom brand.
MTS, a leading Russian mobile operator, announced the successful test of a section of its DC-HSDPA 3G network in Moscow. Three times faster than conventional HSDPA networks, the DC-HSPDA features the simultaneous use of two carrier frequencies, providing transfer speeds of up to 42 Mbit/s to subscribers.
Authorities in Kaluga region are to get $17.2 million finance from the federal budget to build a technopark specializing in high technologies, Interfax reports. The technopark is reportedly to be located in the city of Obninsk. The project is scheduled to be carried out in 2011-2014.
VimpelCom, a leading Russian mobile operator working under Beeline brand, has announced a purchase of 100% shares of Belgorod region telecom Belgorodskiye Tsifrovye Magistrali (Belgorod Digital Mains) for $14.7 million. Belgorod Digital Mains provide telephone and broadband Internet services under Magistrali Telecom and Belnet brands.
Prof. Daniel Isenberg from the U.S.’ Babson College challenges governments’ drive for innovation clusters by saying top-down cluster strategies “may perversely dull the entrepreneurial spirit rather than sharpening it.” I found his viewpoint interesting to dwell upon—and pretty arguable, too.
