A second mobile operator is reportedly planning to launch in South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia, ending the monopoly held by Russian-owned cellco MegaFon (known locally as Ostelecom). CNews writes that the new player, which will operate under the brand name Irtel, will allegedly be backed by local entrepreneurs and Tele2-owned Russian CDMA operator SkyLink.
TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database states that Ostelecom was founded in 2004 and in 2009 Russian telecoms giant MegaFon took a majority stake in the operator, before increasing its shareholding from 51% to 75% in early 2010. The company was subsequently rebranded as MegaFon, with 3G and 4G network launches taking place in September 2011 and March 2013, respectively.