Minister of Communications Ms Suvi Lindén and Mr Igor Shchegolev, the Russian Minister of Communications and Mass Media, agreed that negotiations between the two countries on lowering roaming charges on mobile networks are to be initiated immediately. In addition to the roaming charges, the ministers discussed issues concerning mobile network frequencies.
The ministers met in Moscow on 4 February. A central topic was making the 800 MHz band available for mobile communications. Mr Shchegolev announced that in Russia the shift to the use of the 800 MHz band for mobile communications could occur very quickly if the telecommunications companies were willing to bear the cost of the transition.
