DUSHANBE, July 11,Asioa-Plus — TeliaSonera, which is the leading telecommunications company in the Nordic and Baltic region, intends to invest in Tajikistan’s telecommunications sector, Asia-Plus has learned at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT).
This issue was discussed today at a meeting of Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister, Amonullo Ashurov, with TeliaSonera’s President Tero Kivisiari (phonetically spelled) and representative of Fintur Holding B.V. in Tajikistan Hasan Huseinov in Dushanbe. remarked this today during his meeting with Tajikistan’s in Dushanbe.
TeliaSonera is controlling shareholder in Fintur Holdings B.V.
The source at a MoEDT said that in the course of the talks Kivisiari had noted that Tajikistan’s telecommunications market is becoming more and more attractive for investors. Tajikistan has laid necessary legal foundation and has national program for information-communications development, the TeliaSonera top manger said, according to the source. “Telecommunications sector in Tajikistan has shown upward tendency, and cellular operators are offering additional multimedia services,” the TeliaSonera president was quoted as saying.
The source added that negotiations between TeliaSonera and US-based MCT Corp (MCT) on its merging into Sonera Holding are nearing completion. It will allow TeliaSonera working on Tajikistan’s telecommunications market.
“We believe our financial resources and wish to support new innovation projects will give a serious impulse to further extension of cellular communications services offered by Indigo-Tajikistan and Somoncom,” said Kivisiari, “The objective of these actions is to provide potential subscribers with more access to the latest services and technologies of the modern information-communications world.”
TeliaSonera is the leading telecommunications company in the Nordic and Baltic region and also holds strong positions in mobile communications in Eurasia, Turkey and Russia. At the end of 2006 TeliaSonera launched mobile services in Spain. It offers reliable, innovative and easy-to-use services for the transmission and packaging of sound, images, data, information, transactions and entertainment. TeliaSonera sees simplicity and service as important drivers for creating long-term sustainable growth and value for our customers and shareholders.
We will recall that MCT currently operates through four joint ventures serving Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, providing cellular communications services in the GSM standard.
In Tajikistan, MCT Corp runs its business through Central Asia Telecommunications Development B.V (CATD), registered in the Netherlands. MCT owns 40 percent of the shares and the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) assumes the 40 ownership interest in CATD.
CATD owns 100 percent of shares of closed joint-stock company Indigo-Tajikistan and 70 percent of shares of closed joint-stock company Somoncom (the remaining 30 percent of shares belong to local physical entities, including Somoncom’s management).
Indigo-Tajikistan launched service in July 2002 in the southern region of Tajikistan and is a leading operator in southern Tajikistan. In addition to the capital of Dushanbe, Indigo-Tajikistan provides coverage to all major population centers as well as to remote districts in Gorno Badakhshan region. Indigo-Tajikistan currently provides national and international automatic roaming, and other major value-added-services supported by advanced digital networks.
Somoncom launched service in 1999 in the northern region of Tajikistan as the first GSM operator in Tajikistan. Somoncom has the largest network coverage area in northern Tajikistan. Somoncom provides coverage to all major population centers, including the remote Panjakent district, as well as to mountainous areas along Tajikistan’s north-south highway. Somoncom currently provides national and international automatic roaming, and other major value-added-services supported by advanced digital networks, including GPRS-based services.
In Afghanistan, MCT owns 12.25 percent of shares the cellular operator Roshan. Roshan is backed by an international consortium formed by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) at 51%, Monaco Telecom International (MTI) at 36.75% and MCT Corp. at 12.25%.
The deal is expected to be concluded before the end of this summer and its total amount will be $400 million.
