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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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. …

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 …

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 …

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 …