MOSCOW--Russian conglomerate AFK Sistema (AFKS.RS) hopes that
the licensing dispute around its Mobile TeleSystems (MBT) unit in
Uzbekistan will be resolved in early 2013, Sistema Chairman
Vladimir Yevtushenkov told reporters in New Delhi, Interfax
reported Monday.
"A regular negotiations process is going on which, it looks
like, may spread into the beginning of next year," Mr. Yevtushenkov
said.
"You cannot enter the same river twice. Most likely the
conditions will not be the same, but how it will be in reality it
is hard to say," he told reporters.
In July the wholly-owned subsidiary of MTS, Uzdunrobita, had its
license withdrawn initally for for 10 days and then permanently due
to "repeated and systematic major violations," with the way their
cellular network was designed and "noncompliance with the
instructions of the controlling body," the Uzbek telecommunications
agency said then.
Write to Olga Razumovskaya olga.razumovskaya@dowjones.com
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