Etisalat may launch in Turkmenistan mobile sector.(WIRELESS)

With Turkmen mobile subscribers currently only able to subscribe to services of a single provider after the government refused to renew the concession of market leader MTS Turkmenistan earlier this year, UAE-based Etisalat is rumored to be considering entering the country's mobile sector. According to Turkmenistan.ru, a delegation from Etisalat has been in the capital Ashgabat, and the Middle Eastern executives have held talks with the Turkmen state regarding the possibility of a partnership in the telecom sector. The report claims that Etisalat's representatives have told the government that they could launch both mobile voice and Internet services in Turkmenistan "using the latest technology and equipment."

In December 2010, the Turkmen authorities suspended MTS's license for a month, and the following month Turkmenistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) claimed that the operating agreement it signed with MTS in 2005 was only valid for five years. The decision by the state not to renew the concession means that TM-Cell, the wireless unit of fixed-line incumbent Turkmentelecom, is now the de-facto monopoly mobile voice provider in Turkmenistan.