Belarusian Minister of Communications and Informatization on telecommunications market liberalization

Author: Mikhail Doroshevich

22/10/2005

Vladimir Goncharenko, Belarusian Minister of Communications and Informatization, holds the opinion that liberalization of telecommunications market is progressing in Belarus. He says that the Ministry has issued "a lot of licenses for telecommunication services providers", there are four GSM operators in the country and a "number of organizations" have licenses for providing radio access, networks design and construction, and for data ransmission.

Yet, the Minister acknowledged that Beltelecom holds state monopoly for outer communication channels. Though the Minister claimed that demonopolization process is to be launched in 2007, Belarusian Law on Telecommunications adopted earlier this year states that National telecommunications operator, which is responsible for universal services providing on the whole teritory of the country, has an exclusive right to provide international traffic and it exclusively provides interconnections with other countries networks. National operator exercise connection of other operators to public telecommunications network and is responsible for telecommunications networks interaction (article 44).

Vladimir Goncharenko explained that after 2007, when the telecommunication market liberalization process is to be launched, Beltelecom will preserve its infrastructure exclusive ownership, as well as the ownership for outer telecommunication channels.

Useful links:

The Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus

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