Business Watch
Russia’s Proton-M carrier rocket carrying a Canadian telecommunications satellite Anik-G1 blasted off on Monday from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan, the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos reported.
Mobile TeleSystems (MBT), Russia’s biggest mobile provider, is abandoning plans to challenge state- run VTB Group’s takeover of Tele2 AB (TEL2B)’s local unit and will seek talks with the lender about consolidation in the industry, Chief Financial Officer Alexey Kornya said.
Russia’s hi-tech corporation Russian Technologies (Rostec) and Dutch company Royal DSM have signed a memorandum for cooperation in joint production of biotechnologies and ballistic materials for armor protection, Rostec said on Tuesday.
Rostelecom may be privatized this year as the Russian government moved up plans to sell its majority stake in the telecommunications operator that may be the ultimate buyer of Tele2 AB’s business in the country.
Nordic telecoms group Tele2's sale of its Russian unit to state-controlled bank VTB has been approved by Russian regulators, despite complaints by rival contenders that their higher bids have been ignored.
Kaspersky Lab is to cooperate with a new division of Interpol in fighting cybercrime, the Moscow-based antivirus company said on Friday.


