"The current regulation of anti-monopoly activities in the communications sphere is based on the stereotype that fixed-line communication companies are monopolists," Valery Yashin said, adding that the sector needed to transition to self-regulation.
Dmitry Milovantsev, a senior official of the Information Technologies and Mass Communications Ministry, said Svyazinvest, whose privatization is slated for next summer, was not a monopoly on the communications market.
He said the holding had to compete with other operators. "The market has thousands of operators. Operators of traditional networks compete with operators of wireless networks," he said, adding that fixed-line operators needed to introduce new services since the number of subscribers of wireless operators significantly exceeded their subscribers.
