Vimpelcom

MOSCOW-Russia’ second-biggest carrier Vimpelcom (BeeLine) will finally launch in St. Petersburg next week and plans to borrow close to US$100 million in the domestic market for further regional expansion. Vimpelcom …

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 …

MOSCOW-The Arabic Thuraya satellite communications company said it is ready to launch a free service in Russia in March. The service will be free because Thuraya has not yet agreed …

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 …

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 …

MOSCOW-Russia’s second-largest wireless carrier, Vimpelcom (BeeLine), purchased 100 percent of the East-West Telecom Co., which holds GSM licenses for 12 regions of the greater Urals. Until the buy, Vimpelcom only …

MOSCOW—The second-biggest Russian carrier Vimpelcom (BeeLine) said its subsidiary Vimpelcom-Region, created to promote nationwide expansion, received US$175.44 million in investments. The funds were provided by BeeLine, the Alfa-Group Holding and …

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 …

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-Russian Communications Minister Leonid Reiman promised to grant nationwide GSM licenses to three major carriers-Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), Vimpelcom (BeeLine) and MegaFon. The news is important for the first two carriers, …

MOSCOW-Siemens and the Russian Development Bank (RBR) announced an ambitious plan to invest US$6 billion in the coming five to 10 years into the creation of a pan-Russian Terrestrial Trunked …

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 …

MOSCOW-Ericsson will supply equipment to expand the GSM 900/1800 MHz networks of the second-biggest Russian carrier, Vimpelcom (BeeLine), in three Russian regions. According to the contract, Ericsson will supply a …

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 …

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 …

MOSCOW—Second-biggest Russian carrier Vimpelcom (BeeLine) launched its General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) into commercial operation in April after several delays caused by a lack of clients. Vimpelcom, which boasts more …

MOSCOW—Third-generation (3G) licenses will be issued in Russia only after the law on communications is amended, according to First Deputy Communications Minister Yuri Pavlenko. “The 3G Association has carried out …

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia—Swedish company Tele 2 denied plans to sell the St. Petersburg-based FORA Communications AMPS carrier, which combines operators St. Petersburg Telecom and Oblcom. “We are not going to …

MOSCOW—The biggest Russian carrier Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) is likely to pay more than US$85 million for a blocking interest in the fourth-biggest regional carrier Kuban GSM in the Krasnodar territory …

SAN DIEGO—Littlefeet Inc. announced it has completed its GSM coverage solution trial with Vimpelcom in Russia. Littlefeet’s SPICE coverage system is designed to help carriers quickly and cost-effectively achieve high-quality …

MOSCOW—The Sonic Duo carrier, which is the Moscow stronghold of the pan-Russian Megafon project, received a US$138 million loan from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the European Bank for Reconstruction …