WASHINGTON-Lack of awareness and problems with securing financing have made for a slow start in Russia’s commercial trunked radio industry, but the number of units in service there is expected to more than double by 2000, according to the International Mobile Telecommunications Association.
Operators now have secured financing and are installing systems throughout the country to compete with the “hundreds of illegal and unsophisticated systems now in operation,” the trade association said. Russian operators expect major growth during the next two years.
There are between 300 and 350 commercial trunked radio operators in Russia, including more than 100 old systems. The old systems previously were run by the government, but now are owned by telephone companies and other organizations, IMTA reported.
Most companies operate between one and four systems with regional or citywide coverage. A few operators have conventional systems, but most have systems offering what they consider to be trunked services, said IMTA.
Only one operator told IMTA that it plans to implement a digital system this year.
In Tajikistan, one of the former Soviet Republics, The Ministry of Communications reported the country has two commercial trunked radio system operators, Trunk and Elecom.
The ministry may grant additional licenses for frequencies that haven’t been assigned to other companies, IMTA said, although the ministry has not designated particular frequencies for commercial trunked radio. Licensees pay an annual fee based on the company’s revenue. There are no limits on foreign ownership, but typically it is 50 percent, said IMTA.
In addition, the ministry does not require any particular equipment protocol to be used, but it must be type-approved and have a certificate of the State Communications and Information Committee of the Russian Federation. There are no loading requirements, but operators are required to build their systems within the time indicated in the license, IMTA reported.
Commercial trunked radio operators can interconnect to the public switched telephone network without restriction as long as the equipment used meets the country’s requisite technical standards.
The Tajikistan response brings to 59 IMTA’s count of the number of countries where the commercial trunked radio industry is active.
