The polish state telecoms operator Telekomunikacja Polska that is due to be part privatized later this year is facing its first serious competitor in the shape of Tele-Energo, a joint venture of the Polish national power grid operator PSE and various power distributors. Tel-Energo is in the process of laying a $110m national fiber optic network, running alongside existing power cables. The company will compete for long distance phone calls, with Tele-Polska when the long distance market deregulates at the start of next year. This competition could devalue Tele-Polska which is estimated to be worth between $10bn and $15bn. Tele- Energo is expecting to soon capture 25% of the $10bn market.
