OREANDA-NEWS. Fitch Ratings has today affirmed OAO Sibirtelecom's ("Sibir") Issuer Default rating ("IDR") at "B+" with Stable Outlook and Short-term rating at "B".

The ratings reflect Sibir's dominant market position in its operating areas in Eastern and much of Western Siberia.

Sibir enjoys a better revenue diversification between traditional voice, mobile and VAS (mostly internet-related) segments than most of its domestic peers. In the fixed-line segment the company's market shares have been stable and are unlikely to come under pressure.

Fitch estimates that Sibir's leadership in the residential telephony sector will be unrivalled in the medium term, while competition in the business segment is not expected to intensify.