MOSCOW—Siemens has reportedly won the tender for equipment supplies for the construction of the second GSM 900/1800 MHz network in Belarus, which is to be operated by the leading Russian carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MTS).
Official tender results were expected on 4 February, but have not been disclosed so far, although Russian media claimed the winner was determined a week after the initial deadline. The delay might be caused by a political struggle, as Belarussian authorities hinted Chinese Huawei had good prospects on the domestic market, while MTS has traditionally cooperated with Siemens. The cost of the deal has not been disclosed so far.
Other tender participants were Alcatel, Ericsson, the Russian office of Network Star System and Chinese ZTE.
Siemens is to supply six switchboards with a total capacity of 350,000 clients and some 170 base stations. The network is to be launched in April 2002 to cover the capital of Minsk. By the end of the year, it will expand to other major Belarussian cities.
In the meantime, MTS, which won the second Belarussian GSM license last year, is finalizing registration of a joint venture with state-run Mezhdugorodnaya svyaz company, which is envisaged by tender terms.
So far, the only GSM carrier in Belarus is Velcom, which reported 110,000 clients in 2001.
