Russian telcos look to Asia for growth

It's the Cold War all over again.

U.S. telcos looking to expand their market and market share will be facing off with a more aggressive and more competent foe as Russia's telco's-some of the most financially sound companies in the world--look to grow in the nascent southern and southeastern Asian markets, reports Business Week.

Russian mobile use has exploded, growing from 1.35 million users in 2000 to more than 170 million users in 2007. That growth begs a major question, one U.S. telcos have been wrestling with for a while: when customers discover the ease of use and portability of cell phones, what happens to their landlines?

The Russians--led by Mobile TeleSystems--plan to invest billions of dollars in their new targets of opportunity. Dominoes, anyone?

For more:
- Read the full Business Week article

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