State mulls end of telecoms monopoly

The government of Armenia has given itself 40 days to make a decision on whether the country’s incumbent PTO should retain its monopoly on all telecommunications services. Armentel, which is 90% owned by Greek telco OTE, is widely expected to lose its exclusivity in the internet access, wireless and data markets, having been accused of failing to live up to contractual obligations, especially concerning the quality of its services. Armentel had 75,000 wireless customers at mid-July 2003.