Russian Alfa Telecom seeks Western partner

MOSCOW, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- Top Russian investment consortium Alfa Group is seeking a partner in the West to launch a joint telecommunications company.

Alfa Telecom Chief Executive Alexei Reznikovich told the British Independent that he has been involved in "concrete discussions" with companies in the West regarding a joint telecom venture, MosNews reported.

The discussions have since ended, and while Reznikovich declined to identify any of the firms by name, analysts speculate that the United Kingdom's Vodafone may be at the top of the list.

Alfa Telecom has a 32.9-percent share of voting stock in VimpelCom, Russia's second-largest mobile operator, which is listed on Nasdaq at a valuation of nearly $8 billion.