Russia's Comstar to build WiMAX network in Armenia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian fixed-line operator Comstar UTS (CMSTq.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Thursday it had started to build a mobile broadband network using WiMAX technology in Armenia.

"We intend to launch the network this year and, therefore, become the first and the largest wireless broadband Internet operator in Armenia," Comstar's president, Sergei Pridantsev, said in a statement.

The company said it had chosen Airspan Networks Inc (AIRN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) to provide equipment for the base stations. It did not disclose the value of the deal.

Mobile WiMax is an emerging high-speed wireless standard which is expected to support access to large amounts of data, such as movies and multi-media content.

The company expects to launch commercial service in the second half of this year. The network will cover 75 percent of Armenia's population, a Comstar spokeswoman said.

She declined to say how much Comstar would invest in the network deployment. Last year Comstar announced plans to invest "10s of millions of dollars" to build a WiMAX network in Moscow.

Comstar, part of Russian services conglomerate Sistema (SSAq.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), provides voice, data, Internet, pay-TV and other services.

(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Editing by Greg Mahlich)