In the conversation with Aravot.am, “Ucom” Commercial Director Aram Barseghyan assured that currently the company has no intention to become the 4th operator of mobile connection in Armenia, though the company has always had the ability to voice services. It should be noted that, yesterday, the Public Services Regulatory Commission granted a license to “Ucom” for providing public mobile internet connection services.
The company received permission to use 801-811 MHz/842-852 MHz, radio frequency segment of transmission (reception), with the help which the company will provide an outdoor broadband internet coverage in the city of Yerevan and adjacent main communities within one year, and during 2 years it will provide at least 80% of outdoor broadband internet coverage for the interstate highways, as well as the settlements of Armenia.
The technology, which the company will work, i.e. 4G, also enables to provide cellular service, and according to Mr. Barseghyan, perhaps this is the reason that rumors are already circulating that “Ucom” wants to become the 4th operator. “Physically, this frequency has an opportunity, let’s not say, to provide voice service, because voice service in this case is no different from any form of data transmission service. And whether we want to act as the 4th operator, or not, I assure you that we do not have such intention in our nearest projects”,-assured Commercial Director of the company to Aravot.am. And, to our question whether a year later the company will change its mind and decide to provide mobile connection, and whether the company is going to obtain new telephone numbers, Mr. Barseghyan said that the license does not include a series of numbers. “At the moment we do not have such an intention, we have plans to provide mobile Internet, as for number series as such, we do not have, with the help of which we could provide voice messaged.”
Although, it is possible to provide the so-called mobile connection with the company’s technology, but for having numbers, the company still has to apply to the Public Services Regulatory Commission. To the question of Aravot.am whether it is possible for them to study the market by 2015 and provide voice service, or ‘Ucom’ like other operators believes that the market is already saturated, Mr. Barseghyan said, “If you have asked this question a year ago whether we intent to provide a mobile internet service, I would say ‘no’. And, as for the market saturation, yes, it is full, but I do not think that the market is also saturated in quality. I think that the new competition is always bringing something in quality. Eventually, this boom by other “mobile” operators is connected with the matter that they have made a lot of investments and have no successes, therefore there is a fear that if the 4th operator appears, what the state of the market will be. As for the mobile internet, I don’t think that the market is full, as of today, there is no highest quality mobile internet, and I think we have something to say, in this regard.”
Nelly Babayan
