Bell Atlantic Corp’s Bell Atlantic International, and US West Inc’s US West International Holdings Inc signed with the Post & Telecommunications Administrations of the Czech and Slovak republics that form Czechoslovakia – now they at last have a voice, the Slovaks are extremely keen to emphasise their separate identity – to invest $80m over 10 years in joint venture companies to build and operate separate cellular mobile and packet networks in each of the Republics. The postal authority will hold 51% of each and Bell Atlantic and US West will together hold the other 49% of the ventures. Letters of intent for the contracts were signed last June (CI Nos 1,449, 1452).
