Belarusian news agency BelTA reports that domestic mobile carrier MTS Belarus and Belarusian Cloud Technologies (beCloud) are discussing plans to cooperate in the development of Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology in the country. In an interview on 19 March, MTS Director General Vladimir Karpovich is quoted as confirming the development: ‘We are discussing possible avenues of cooperation in LTE with the company’.
The MTS official believes there will be high demand for LTE services in Belarus and also went on to discuss the cellco’s current 3G coverage in rural areas. ‘The technology that uses 2100MHz is not ideal for the full coverage of rural areas. The technologies that use lower frequencies are optimal for this,’ he pointed out. Specifically, Karpovich considers the so-called ‘digital dividend’ will be crucial in this regard, once the frequencies that are currently being used for analogue TV services are phased out.