Rostelecom, Scartel in talks to settle LTE network access dispute
MOSCOW. April 2 (Interfax) - Rostelecom and Scartel, which operates under the Yota brand, are in talks to settle their court dispute over access to Scartel's LTE network, a Rostelecom representative told journalists.
He said Rostelecom would seek a postponement of a hearing in the company's appeal of a lower court ruling rejecting its suit against Scartel over LTE network access.
A Scartel representative confirmed that the talks were being held and supported Rostelecom's motion to postpone the appeals hearing.
The court announced a break in the proceedings until April 9.
Rostelecom filed the motion to postpone the hearing in order to negotiate an out-of-court settlement, the companies said in a joint press release.
"The sides will begin talks on settling the dispute out of court," the press release said.
Rostelecom filed the lawsuit against Scartel in Moscow arbitration court in September 2012 and until now the two sides had not attempted to reach a negotiated settlement.
"We were always ready for dialog, so we welcome Rostelecom's initiative and are confident that we can arrive at a solution that is acceptable to both sides," Scartel Managing Director Yegor Ivanov is quoted in the press release as saying.
Last week, Rostelecom President Alexander Provotorov was replaced by Sergei Kalugin, the former head of National Telecommunications.