Kola Telekom (merged)

active

Kolatelecom provides international telephony services in the Murmansk region on the Kola Peninsula with a population of 1.4 million people. The company was set up as a joint venture between the Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor (50%) and Svyazinform of Murmansk region (later known as Murmanskelektrosvyaz, a subsidiary of JSC North-West Telecom) (50%). Kola Telecom was the first Telenor’s investment in Russia. Kolatelecom's network was based on microwave equipment manufactured by Norway's Nera. The company rented Telenor’s transmission and switching equipment, estimated at a value of US$5 million. Kolatelecom's clients included Russian Customs, banks, joint ventures, government agencies, foreign missions, etc. Kolatelecom had approximately 300 corporate subscribers in 2001. Telenor also set up a joint venture with the Teledvina-Telecom, set up in Arkhangelsk together with the Arkhtelecom (a subsidiary of JSC North-West Telecom), and another joint venture, the Tele-Barents, with the Rostelecom to operate a digital television network in Russia's northwest. It invested US$3.5m in the development of the communication infrastructure in the north-western regions of the Russian Federation by 1995. The company expected to spend a further US$7 million between 1996 and 1997. Telenor purchased 50% of Kola Telekom shares in 1992, in 1999 Telenor sold its share to Murmansk Electrosviaz. http://www.kolatelecom.ru/about.htm (russian) The information about Kola Telecom in the description was confused with the another company Telebarents (which was not in the database)Kolatelecom is JV between Telenor and Svyazinvest while Tebarents is a joint venture between Telenor and Rostelecom. Investment refer to all Telenor's investment in N-W region which after 1994 included also other companies as North-West GSM. Therefore, US$ 7 million in 1997 could imply some double counting.