Yartelecom (merged with CenterTelecom)

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Yartelecom is the main local telecommunications services provider for the Yaroslavl oblast in Central Russia with a population of 1.37 million. The company provides local telephone service through its own network. The company also offers national and international service through Rostelecom's infrastructure. Company provides wide range of traditional and modern telecom services: fixed telephony, cellular communications (NMT 450), paging. In 1993 Russian local telecommunications network operators were partially privatized and Yartelecom was established in October 1993. In 1995, Svyazinvest, a holding company which consolidated the government stakes in all of the 85 regional telecommunication companies, was created. After the formation of Svyazinvest it held 38 percent of the common shares and 51 percent of the voting shares in Yartelecom. The second biggest shareholder after Svyazinvest was Taft Enterprises Limited (11.45 percent) in 2000. Within the period of 1999-2000 investments into the development of the local telecommunications amounted to 267, 4 million rubles (US$ 10.14 million). As a result of Svyazinvest’s consolidation Yartelecom became a branch of the mega-regional company JSC Central Telecommunication Company in December 2002. In the course of the telecommunications industry restructuring during 2000-2002 Svyazinvest created seven large telecom companies in Russia's macro-regions by consolidating 74 local operators. As a result of reorganization, the property and personnel of regional operators was transferred to corresponding regional branches: Center Telecom, North-West Telecom, Volga Telecom, South Telecom, Uralsvyazinform, Siberia Telecom and Far East Telecom (Dalsvyaz). JSC CenterTelecom (earlier known as AO Electrosvyaz Moscow ) became the base company in the process of consolidation of 16 regional providers in central Russia. The companies that were removed from the state register and renamed into branches of JSC "CenterTelecom" were: Belsvyaz, Bryansksvyazinform, Voronezhsvyazinform, Ivtelecom, Lipetskelectrosvyaz, Smolensksvyazinform, Tambov Elektrosvyaz, Tulatelecom, Vladimir Region Elektrosvyaz, Kaluga Region Elektrosvyaz, Kostroma Region Elektrosvyaz, Kursk Region Elektrosvyaz, Oryol Region Elektrosvyaz, Ryazan Region Elektrosvyaz, Tver Region Elektrosvyaz, and Yartelecom.