MTS to acquire St. Petersburg Internet and telecom operator

The Russian Anti Monopoly Service allowed MTS, a leading Russian operator, to acquire 100% of the shares of SkyNet, Russian business daily Vedomosti reported yesterday. The target of the acquisition provides Internet access as well as fixed line telephony services in St. Petersburg.

MTS competes with other players such as mobile operator Megafon and telecom operator Rostelecom, which also aim to diversify their offerings and expand their share of the Russian telecom market.

Among MTS’s recent acquisitions were Ufanet, a telecom operator in Bashkortostan, and TVT, a pay TV and fixed broadband service provider in Tatarstan, in April and October of last year, respectively.