Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu wrote to President Vladimir Putin saying that Osnova Telecom, a firm partly owned by the ministry, doesn't need the frequencies it has held for the past 2 1/2 years.
The Defense Ministry owns 25 percent plus one share of Osnova, which prevents it from controlling the firm. The remaining share belongs to Aikominvest, an investment vehicle headed by Vitaly Yusufov, son of former Energy Minister Igor Yusufov, Vedomosti reported Friday.
In the letter to Putin, Shoigu said the ministry was not opposed to putting the frequencies up for auction. The frequencies are between 2.3 and 2.4 gigahertz and were given to Osnova in 2011 by the State Radio Frequencies Commission.
Spokespeople for both Tele2 and Transtelecom told Vedomosti they would consider bidding for the frequencies, depending on the conditions.
The "Big Four" telecom providers — Rostelecom, MegaFon, VimpelCom and Mobile TeleSystems — won tenders for 4G frequencies in a contest concluded in July.
In 2010, former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov asked President Dmitry Medvedev to grant 4G frequencies to Osnova so it could set up high-speed Internet coverage for the armed forces.
A Defense Ministry representative told Vedomosti that the decision to opt out of the 4G frequencies was made because ministry officials now consider it impractical to create their own network with encrypted subsystems.
The ministry can create its own subsystem using the 4G networks of commercial telecom companies, the representative said.
An unidentified source close to the frequencies commission said the idea to opt out of the frequencies was proposed shortly after Serdyukov's sacking in early November.
Related articles:
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
