Political upheaval expected to delay LTE tender

The delay in holding a long overdue tender for Long Term Evolution (LTE)-suitable frequencies in Russia has been dealt another blow, following the redeployment of Sergey Sitnikov, the head of the Federal Supervision Agency for IT, Communications & Media (Roskomnadzor), and a keen advocate for the auction. Sitnikov, however, has been appointed acting governor of the Kostroma Oblast, following the resignation of Igor Slyunyaev, who stepped down after coming under pressure over a poor showing at December’s State Duma elections. The development is a major blow as telecoms chief Sitnikov is largely responsible for spearheading the LTE tender, which has been rumoured to take place as early as this month, effectively leaving the increasingly fragmented LTE licensing process in limbo.