A high-stakes game

P4, the country's fourth mobile operator, officially started offering its mobile services under the Play brand last Friday. The company's CEO, Chris Bannister, is confident it can win up to 500,000 subscribers this year.

"In Poland, the market for new customers and customers switching networks is estimated at around 10 million," Bannister explained. "We are targeting five percent of that by the end of the year." As a long-term goal he thinks 20-25 percent of the market should be a realistic target.

But P4's shareholder, telecom Netia, does not expect to see a net profit from P4 - a joint venture between it and Icelandic firm Novator - for at least five years. "We expect profit only in a number of years - more than five years for net profit - but much faster for EBITDA," said Netia's CFO, Jon Eastick.

Bannister reiterated his previous prediction that P4 will have 1,500 transmission towers by the end of the year. Currently the operator has over 200 towers, and has received permission to install 600 more towers. It has applied for a further 200 permits. The company's CEO claimed that, beginning in April, P4 will be erecting over 30 towers a week.

"The network is not a problem," Bannister states. He added that by mid-September, P4 will have 25 percent of the country covered by its network and, by 2008, Play services will be available in 50 percent of Poland.