Rostelecom, Russia’s national telecom operator, is in the process of acquiring a 51% stake in Bolshaya Troika (Big 3), a provider of waste processing automation solutions. The transaction, which amounts to 1.275 billion rubles ($16.7 billion at the current exchange rate), will be completed in the first half of 2021 “after successful launch of a few joint projects.”

Big 3’s flagship product, a waste management platform, is used in some 60 Russian regions. It will come as a complement to Rostelecom’s existing range of waste processing technologies.

Big 3 expects this year’s revenue to reach some $1.3 billion rubles ($17 million), up from 278 million rubles in 2018 ($4.4 million at that time) and 533 million rubles in 2019 ($8.3 million).

Rostelecom is not the only Russian telecom company operating on the waste processing market. Mobile operator MTS has a nation-wide program to digitalize waste collection and disposal with an ERP system to manage municipal solid waste optimally.