NGKT to invest $300 million, but TP SA still in the way

British company National Grid and Energis, which together with Polish State Railways (PKP) form NG Koleje Telekomunikacja Sp. z.o.o.,are set to invest $300 million in data transfer within the next two years. The company has recently signed an agreement with PKP to lease 5,300 kilometers of fiber optics and has pledged to add an additional $17.5 million if granted 2,000 more kilometers. According to George Makowski, head of NGKT, the company is planning to provide Internet services and e-commerce, with 300 Polish specialists and 350 subcontractors to be hired. NGKT has also expressed interest in paying euro 23.4 million to acquire a license for long- distance calls. Yet it insists that the Telecom Ministry put pressure on telecom operator Telekomunikacja Polska S.A. (TP SA) to reverse its stand on issues of connection points, billing, and inter-operator account setting, thus far the main obstacles preventing independent operators from entering the long-distance service sector. (Prawo i Gospodarka, p.5)