PSE announces plans for telecoms group rivaling TPSA

The national power grid Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne (PSE) has announce d plans to create a telecoms group capable of competing with Telekomunikacja Polska (TPSA). Under the PSE plan, all its telecoms interests will be merged to create a large telecoms group. The company's new management has already d ecided against selling its 16.05% stake in Polkomtel, operator of the Plus G SM mobile telephone network. PSE's other telecoms interests include 50% of N OM, a long distance operator that controls 15% of the market, as well as ove r 75% of Tel-Energo, operator of a countrywide optical fiber network coverin g more than 11,000 kilometers. Since January this year both Tel-Energo and N OM have been headed by one man, Andrzej Arendarski. PSE president Stanislaw Dobrzanski does not rule out the possibility of the merger plan being suppor ted by a strategic partner. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 25) A.K.