Samsung Electronics has built a WiMAX network in the Russian cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg for local operator Startel, it said Tuesday.

The network operates in the 2.5GHz to 2.7GHz frequency range and will cover about 20 million people by the end of the year, said Samsung. Startel plans to expand it to other cities across Russia using Samsung equipment, the South Korean electronics maker said. Samsung has provided 1,600 base stations to Startel for the network, it said.

Samsung has previously won WiMAX network equipment contracts in several countries including Brazil, Croatia, the United States and Venezuela. (Listen to a podcast about Sprint's WiMAX features.)

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.