News Parkiet

Telecommunications

Netia wins Polish 3G license

Local phone company Netia SA has won a beauty contest for 3G mobile phone services, market regulator URTiP said yesterday. Netia has offered to pay 344 million zloty ($107 million) for the country?s fourth 3G license.

Netia outbid rivals PTC, an existing mobile phone company, as well as Qiana Investments, a company associated with Hutchison Whampoa. Two additional offers by PTC and Polkomtel, both of which already operate GSM networks and own 3G licenses were rejected.

URTiP has decided not to award yet another GSM license, saying that all the bids were too low. The bidding for GSM 1800 frequencies started at 3.96 million zloty.

Publishing

WSiP to issue new shares to employees

WSiP textbook publisher has a tentative plan to issue new shares to employees who missed out on government-sponsored program that gave away 4.7 million shares, or 15 percent of the firm to employees and their descendants, chief executive Jan Rurański said after yesterday?s shareholders meeting. As expected, Monday?s meeting lacked sufficient quorum to push for board changes at the company.

Metals

HAK unions settle with management

Trade unions at Huta Aluminium Konin, a big aluminum smelter in Western Poland, have agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement that ended a dispute with the company. Workers at HAK complained about alleged wage cut by an average of 500 zloty per person after the plant changed its owners. On Friday they have agreed to management plan that consolidates various bonuses into regular wages. However, their takehome pay has remained the same.

Petrochemicals

Trzebinia refinery sees 40 million zloty in profits

Rafineria Trzebinia, a small, regional refinery that is part of PKN Orlen petrochemicals group says it expects earnings of around 40 million zloty this year. Trzebinia owns a plant that makes methyl esters, special gasoline additives sold in Germany and elsewhere. The company plans to build a second plant in Germany because of rising demand. CEO Grzegorz Ślak told PARKIET yesterday.