VimpelCom Receives GSM-1800 Licence for Russia's North West Region

Vimpel-Communications (VimpelCom) announced today that the Russian Communications Ministry's licensing commission has decided to award its daughter company VimpelCom-Region a licence to operate in Russia's North West region on the GSM-1800 standard. According to VimpelCom's press office, 'on the basis of this decision, the company expects to receive the licence in the near future'.

The licence for the North West region given by the Ministry requires the provision of services in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, as well as in the Vologda, Kaliningrad, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk, Novgorod and Pskov Regions, the Republic of Karelia and the Nenetsk Autonomous District.

According to VimpelCom general director Jo Lunder, the company has already begun to plan the development of its network in Russia's North West and is hoping to receive access to the 900 mhz frequency in this region.

Two companies, MTS and MegaFon, currently have complex licences for providing services on the GSM 900/1800 standard.

VimpelCom is a mobile phone operator in Russia, which provides services under the brand name Bee Line. VimpelCom's licences cover 70% of the population of Russia, including Moscow and the Moscow Region.

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&to=http://www.vimpelcom.ru/en/NYSE.html' target=_blank>VimpelCom

&to=http://www.mts.com' target=_blank>MTS

&to=http://www.megafon.ru' target=_blank>MegaFon