The Latvian government is expected to decide on the future ownership of the country’s incumbent telco Lattelecom this week.
According to a local report, Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis said that the state would either assume full control of the telco or sell it off, in either instance selling the mobile phone company Latvijas Mobilais Telefons to TelaSonera.
Lattelecom is currently majority (51%) owned by the Latvian state, with Tilts Communication, a subsidiary of TeliaSonera, holding the remaining shares. A recent proposed management buyout led by the Blackstone Group was turned down by the government.
Lattelecom ended 2007 with 151,000 broadband connections and aims to increase the figure by 40% this year. It operates one of the most technologically advanced IPTV services in Central and Eastern Europe.
