Netia makes its debut in Warsaw with telecom service

Netia telecom operator has joined Telekomunikacja Polska S.A. (TP SA) and Elektrim in providing telecom service in Warsaw. On Tuesday the company officially began offering its services in the city, with its first client Platan Group investment fund. Netia received its license to provide telecom services in the capital on June 30 of last year, but was prevented until now from launching service due to lingering concessions procedures and talks with TP SA about telecom network connection points. "When we received the license, TP SA claimed the whole process [of connecting the networks] would take no longer than 2 to 3 months," said Marek Polak, chief of Netia's Warsaw project. On January 23 the two operators finally agreed on connecting their networks. Netia has been connecting new subscribers since the beginning of this week and already has 600 to 700 clients in Warsaw. If the pace of 200 to 300 active lines added a week is maintained, it is possible the firm will handicap El Net, which has 5,600 subscribers. Netia's target clients are big corporations with high revenues, but the company says in the future it may also accept private subscribers. (Rzeczpospolita, B4; Prawo i Gospodarka, p. 12) J.K. Pernod Ricard wins exclusive right to privatize Wyborowa