SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA SEES BRIGHT TELECOM FUTURE IN RUSSIA

TELECOM DEVELOPMENT TEAMS FROM SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA HAVE BEEN TRAVELING ALL OVER RUSSIA “FROM THE OUTER REACHES OF SIBERIA TO INSIDE THE ARCTIC CIRCLE,” ACCORDING TO STEPHEN SPENGLER, THE COMPANY’S REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EASTERN EUROPE AND CIS COUNTRIES.

AND ONCE RUSSIA’S TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM IS IMPROVED COMPANIES WHICH HAVE RECOGNIZED “THE GREAT POTENTIAL IT OFFERS AS AN EXPORT MARKET AS WELL AS A PLACE TO ESTABLISH JOINT VENTURES FOR MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE OPERATIONS” WILL BENEFIT, MR. SPENGLER TOLD GLOBALFAX.

SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA’S EXTENSIVE INVOLVEMENT IN RUSSIA STEMS FROM A CONTRACT WITH TECHNOCOM, A LEADING SUPPLIER OF SATELLITE SERVICES THERE.

TECHNOCOM IS MAJORITY-OWNED BY PLD TELEKOM INC. OF CANADA, WHICH HAS PROCURED FROM SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA SATELLITE NETWORKS SYSTEMS ALLOWING FOR VOICE, DATA, FAX AND INTERNET SERVICES.

A NEW $14 MILLION SECOND PHASE CONTRACT BETWEEN SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA AND TECHNOCOM, SIGNED IN NOVEMBER, FOLLOWS A 1995 PHASE ONE AGREEMENT WHICH FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING A NETWORK HUB AND 30 REMOTE LOCATIONS FOR VSAT DISHES.  PHASE TWO INVOLVES THE DEVELOPMENT OF 32 MORE REMOTE LOCATIONS.

PHASE ONE AND PHASE TWO INCLUDE SETTING UP SERVICES FOR 125 CITIES, INCLUDING YEKATERINBURG, ST. PETERSBURG AND NIZHNIY-NOVGOROD. 

MR. SPENGLER SAID IN A TELEPHONE INTERVIEW FROM THE COMPANY’S LONDON OFFICE DEC. 12 THAT RUSSIA’S TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE IS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY EVEN IN REMOTE AREAS.

RUSSIA’S EMERGING TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS WILL RADICALLY TRANSFORM THE COUNTRY, HE SAID, FROM ITS DAYS AS PART OF THE SOVIET UNION “WHEN ALL INTERNATIONAL LINES FLOWED THROUGH MOSCOW AND TELEPHONE PENETRATION WAS BELOW 15 LINES PER 100 PEOPLE.”

“AS THE TECHNOCOM NETWORK IS DEPLOYED AND TELEPHONE SERVICE IS IMPROVED,” HE ADDED, “THERE WILL BE A DIRECT BENEFIT TO ALL COMPANIES DOING BUSINESS WHERE THESE NEW SATELLITE SERVICE ARE AVAILABLE INCLUDING U.S. MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES.”

THROUGH SCIENTIFIC-ATLANTA’S TRAINING AND ENGINEERING SUPPORT, TECHNOCOM WILL TAKE ON INCREASING RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE NETWORKS AND WILL ASSUME TOTAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, MR. SPENGLER ALSO SAID.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL (770) 903-6611; FAX, (770) 903-6245.