Svyazinvest Head Soothes Regions On Merger

A massive consolidation of the telecoms industry's 80-plus operators into seven pan-regional companies is going forward despite numerous difficulties. State telecoms holding Svyazinvest owns the majority of the operators participating in the merger, but it's not clear how the holding will involve those companies that fall outside its sphere of influence, such as Moscow City Telephone Network and the Kostroma City Telephone Network. The merger has lost the support of several governors, and it threatens to undercut state-controlled long-distance giant Rostelecom, which stands to lose a significant share of its income from intercity and international telecommunications, St. Petersburg Times wrote.