| Belarus will liberalise its telecommunications market in 2007 by eliminating Beltelekom’s monopoly and setting up new fixed-line operators, Telecoms Minister Vladimir Goncharenko said.
Telecoms market liberalisation is a condition for Belarus to facilitate its entry into the World Trade Organisation.
Beltelekom controls fixed-line communications, provides Internet connections and has stakes in all mobile operators.
"The telecommunications ministry is making all efforts to reform industry quickly and create equal conditions for competition. But we will take into consideration social priorities of the state," Goncharenko said.
Belarus's economy is still uses a Soviet-era model with the government deciding what companies will produce and controlling prices for most products.
Goncharenko said this year the government would channel about US$ 200 million to modernise the telecom sector and accelerate plans to launch a third GSM mobile operator. Belarus agreed to create a state mobile operator last year in order to extend mobile services to rural areas.
Source: Reuters |