PKP on right track seeking partners for UMTS license

The board of Polish State Railways (PKP) has held talks with representatives of seven foreign telephone operators bidding for third generation UMTS licenses in Poland. It has not yet however decided whether to join any of these consortia to participate in the license auction. It is believed PKP could be an attractive partner for foreign partners, considering that it owns land throughout the country, a fiber optic network, and adequate energy supplies. Additionally, PKP could use its stations and land along the tracks as locations for ads for the new operator. Earlier the supervisory board of PKP backed a $80 million deal to lease the company's fiber optic network for 15 years to NG Koleje Telekomunikacja (NG KT), which is to receive its own license for long distance telephone services. (Puls Biznesu, p.8).