SAMARA, Russia—The fifth-biggest Russian carrier, SMARTS on the Volga, chose the Evolium solution of French vendor Alcatel to develop its GSM 900/1800 MHz networks.
The carrier, with close to 300,000 clients, said the contract, worth e10 million (US$8.8 million), will help it more than double the service area, “optimize the existing infrastructure and accelerate the introduction of new-generation products and services.”
New base stations will be installed in major industrial cities, such as Saratov and Volgograd, as well as in the republics of Bashkiria, Tatarstan and Kalmykia.
Russia currently runs 13 GSM networks built with Alcatel equipment. Experts estimate that the Evolium solution services one-fifth of all GSM subscribers in the country.
The Russian media has speculated of late that top national carrier Mobile Telesystems (MTS) plans to buy SMARTS. However, the regional carrier has recently denied the allegations. Still market analysts believe SMARTS is just bargaining for a higher price, and its ambitions may be reduced when major national competitors arrive in the region. Experts estimate SMARTS at US$130 million.
