news

Advance Capital is pleased to announce the establishment of a joint venture in the AdTech and big data segment — Quant — between MaximaTelecom, the operator of the largest public Wi-Fi network in Europe, and Gazprom-Media Holding, a leading diversified media group in Russia and Eastern Europe. As a result of the deal, Gazprom-Media acquired a 51% stake in the joint venture, while MaximaTelecom holds the remaining 49%. Artem Pulikov, formerly Head of Internet Business at MaximaTelecom, was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the newly established company.

MaximaTelecom is the first company in the world to develop and launch a free high-speed Wi-Fi network onboard metro trains. The company is a recipient of the Wi-Fi Industry Awards for creating the best Wi-Fi network in urban environments. MaximaTelecom’s unified digital platform, MT_FREE, is available in the Moscow and Saint Petersburg metro systems, Moscow ground public transport, Aeroexpress trains, suburban railways, and 15 regional airports. The platform records over 2.5 million connections daily.

Gazprom-Media Holding is a leading diversified media group in Russia and Eastern Europe, with assets across all major media segments, including television, radio, print media, film production and distribution, and digital platforms. The holding operates nine federal TV channels, assets in film production and distribution, thematic TV channels, ten radio stations, as well as internet and print media assets.

Quant’s key competitive advantages include MaximaTelecom’s proprietary big data and advertising technologies developed through years of public Wi-Fi monetization, combined with Gazprom-Media’s media expertise and nationwide reach of its digital platforms.

Maxim Uryash, Partner and Executive Director at Advance Capital:

“The establishment of a joint venture with Gazprom-Media Holding represents a logical continuation of MaximaTelecom’s success story. The company has not only applied its proprietary technologies to efficiently deploy Wi-Fi networks in metro systems, but has also successfully monetized public networks by actively developing digital advertising and related services. This deal has become a landmark transaction for the Russian media market, and we were pleased to support MaximaTelecom’s shareholders and management in its execution.”

Advance Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to MaximaTelecom.

The deal value is not disclosed.