Russian national operator Rostelecom is in talks to acquire the Wimax operator Freshtel, reports Kommersant. TTK was earlier negotiating a Freshtel acqusiition, but the price of around USD 200 million was too high for the operator, according to the paper's sources. Freshtel could be useful for Rostelecom's project to deploy internet services in small towns across the country. The programme is funded by the government and will cost around RUB 150 billion. Freshtel holds frequencies in the 3.5 GHz band across the country.
