Dialog confident of finding backer for investment plan

Dialog, the second biggest independent fixed line telecoms operator in Poland, is expected to announce plans to invest between zl.400 million and zl.500 million this year, under a five-year development strategy the company hopes to reveal before the end of next month. The funds will be provided by owner KGHM, along with a new financial backer. According to Katarzyna Muszkat, president of Dialog, the new investment will allow the operator to increase the capacity of its network from the current 300,000 lines, to 700,000, and to expand its customer base to as much as 450,000. Muszkat insists Dialog will have no problems finding a backer to help with its financing, even though attempts by the previous management of KGHM to find an investor last year failed. According to Muszkat, "It's not enough to send a memorandum and wait. Investors value most a clear development strategy, and this has been missing so far. Even though we are still preparing it we are already observing interest from financial institutions." (Puls Biznesu, p. 4) P.W.