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Weekly Lists
May 26, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 24
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Bitfury and Ukraine finalising e-government blockchain projects
Slovak alternative mobile operators plan merger
Ukraine’s Euromaidan revolution in 2014 was a cry from the people to have a “government of the people, by the people, for the people”, so it’s fitting that this Eastern European country is about to become the first in the world to realise the full potential of blockchain tech- nology to revolutionise the way that government works.
The Bitfury Group, a global company that is a leader in providing technological solutions based on blockchain, the underlying tech- nology that powers cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, tells bne Intel- liNews that it’s working with Ukraine on finalising the timeline for rolling out the first full-scale “Blockchain eGovernance program”
– a memorandum for which was signed by the two sides on April 13 – which will look to put a sweeping range of government data and services on blockchain systems.
Slovakia’s two largest alternative mobile operators plan to merge, local media reported on May 23.
Benestra and Swan are the main alternative operators to the three major incumbents – Orange Slovensko, Slovak Telekom, and Tel- efonica Slovakia. The launch of full service brand 4ka by Swan in October 2015 was accompanied by warnings from analysts that
its low-price model aimed at young retail customers might not be enough to mount a real challenge. The move to merge with Ben- estra, which provides telecom and IT services to business, suggests the forecasts may have been accurate.
The new company will offer services both for individuals and firms, reports Hospodarske noviny. Sandberg Capital, the private equity fund that bought Benestra last year after it was spun off from GTS Central Europe during an acquisition by Deutsche Telekom, will split the shares of the new company 50:50 with Swan owners Danu- biaTel.