Mobile Telesystems

MOSCOW-Russia witnessed a 21.12 million phone users at the end of march, representing a 17-percent jump from the end of 2002, according to telecom consultancy AC&M. Most of the net additions happened in this city. Carrier Vimpelcom had the lion’s …

KIEV, Ukraine-Two leading Ukrainian carriers continue to expand in the country, while some outsiders had to quit the market, opening a way for acquisitions and takeovers. The Ukrainian Mobile Communications (UMC), which has close to 1.8 million subscribers, said it …

OSLO, Norway-Norway’s Telenor said it sold its 49-percent stake in Russian regional operator StavTeleSot to Russian mobile company VimpelCom for $20.9 million. VimpelCom now has 90 percent of StavTelesot. Telenor said the transaction will give it a financial gain of …

NEW YORK-Mobile TeleSystems, which has 6.7 million subscribers in Russia, plans to raise $400 million in a private placement of dollar-denominated bonds to finance business development, including possible acquisitions of mobile operators in the Russian Federation and the Commonwealth of …

MOSCOW-Biggest Russian carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) was stunned to see its database of clients sold on pirate CD across Moscow and launched an investigation among the staff. The CD containing private data on some 3 million Moscow clients of the …

MOSCOW-The Russian Ministry for Anti-Monopolist Policy (MAP), which last year ordered the major national communications holding company Svyazinvest to dispose of non-core wireless assets, changed its mind and allowed the holding to play a role in the mobile market. In …

HELSINKI, Finland-The Moscow-based Sistema Joint Stock Financial Corporation (Sistema) has approached several leading Finnish telecom companies and venture capital houses in search of Western technical expertise and funds to conduct a mixed US$1 billion mobile technology investment in India. The …

KISHINEV, Moldova-Biggest Russian carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) failed to win a place in the wireless market of Moldova as its major shareholder, Sistema Financial Corporation, and the Moldovan government disagreed over the price for the 51-percent stake of the national …

MOSCOW-Russia’s biggest carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) again delayed the launch of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) into commercial operation because of a lack of demand. The carrier initially planned the launch for December 2000, but it has postponed it several …

KISHINEV, Moldova-The Interdnestrcom carrier from the breakaway Dnestr region of Moldova said it completed the modernization of its CDMA IS-95 network and launched third-generation (3G) cdma2000 1x services. Lucent Technologies, which helped Interdnestrcom launch IS-95 network in 1999, supplied the …

MOSCOW-The biggest Russian carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) has reportedly reached a deal to acquire a controlling stake in Ukraine’s second-biggest operator Ukrainian Mobile Communications (UMC). UMC shareholders include government-owned Ukrtelecom (51 percent), Deutsche Telekom, Danish TDC, and Dutch KPN, with …

MOSCOW-The biggest Russian carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) is negotiating a place in the telecom market of the former Soviet republic of Armenia, where the national operator is likely to lose its wireless monopoly next month. “Currently MTS is conducting negotiations …

MOSCOW-Deutsche Telekom is reportedly considering the sale of a part of its 40-percent stake in Russia’s biggest carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) to decrease its multi-billion dollar debt load. The Vedomosti newspaper quoted an anonymous high-ranking official from Deutsche Telekom as …

MOSCOW-The biggest Russian carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) is working to receive a third GSM license in the tiny former Soviet republic of Moldova through a multi-step deal, which is likely to begin with the purchase of the national Moldtelecom landline …

MUNICH, Germany-Mobile operator LLC MTS said it commissioned the Siemens Information and Communication Mobile Group to expand its GSM network in Belarus. LLC MTS is a joint venture of Russian mobile operator Mobile Telesystems and the Belarusian telecom group Mezhdugorodnyaya …

KAZAN, Tatarstan, Russia-Two regional carriers from the Russian Muslim republic of Tatarstan on the Volga offered stock for public sale, forcing the biggest Russian carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) to reconsider its plans to enter the local market where it currently …

MOSCOW-The biggest Russian carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) finally launched a GSM 900/1800 MHz network in Belarus, thus making its first step into the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) uniting 12 former Soviet republics. MTS, whose launch was delayed by Belarussian …

MOSCOW-Russia will not issue third-generation (3G) licenses this year, and the earliest possible award date is the beginning of 2003. However, everything will depend on the presence of the necessary equipment, according to Communications Minister Leonid Reiman. “Initially we were …

MINSK, Belarus—Chinese vendor Huawei Technologies launched its pilot GSM network in Belarus. The ceremony, which looked like a clear advertising event, was attended by the Chinese ambassador and top Belarussian communication officials. Huawei first tried to enter the Belarusian market …

MOSCOW—The U.S.-based MCT Corporation sold a considerable part of its Russian Indigo project, and market experts believe that may signal an end to the ambitious plan of creating a fourth nationwide network in the country. The RTK-Leasing Company, in which …

MUNICH, Germany—Siemens has confirmed that it won an order to supply the equipment for the second GSM network in the Republic of Belarus owned by Russia-based Mobile Telesystems (MTS) and Belasrussian company Mezhdugorodnaya svyaz. Global Wireless first reported the contract …

MOSCOW—The Norwegian Telenor is going to sell two of its Russian subsidiaries, and the second-biggest Russian carrier Vimpelcom, in which Telenor holds a major stake, is the most likely buyer. Telenor is planning to sell its 49-percent stakes in Extel …

MOSCOW—The second-biggest Russian carrier Vimpelcom (BeeLine) placed its first euro bonds worth US$250 million to finance network expansion across Russia. Vimpelcom Vice President Valery Goldin said the bonds will mature in three years, and the coupon yield of 10.45 percent …

MINSK, Belarus—Belarus has finally given a green light for the biggest Russian carrier, Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), to launch a second GSM network in the country, however, Belarussian red tape delayed the launch for at least three months. The green light …

MOSCOW—Russian company Accord-Tel announced plans to create the fifth pan-Russian wireless network with the use of cdma2000 technology based on the International Mobile Telecommunications-Multi Carrier (IMT-MC) standard. Four pan-Russian GSM networks are being created by Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), Vimpelcom (BeeLine), …