Moody's assigns Ba3 to MTS unsecured bonds

The international rating agency Moody's Investors Service assigned a Ba3 rating to Mobile TeleSystems' (MTS) proposed issuance of $400 million senior unsecured notes. The proposed notes are to be issued through a wholly owned and guaranteed finance vehicle, Mobile TeleSystems Finance S.A. All other ratings remain unchanged (Ba3 senior implied rating and Ba3 senior unsecured issuer rating). The outlook is stable.

As a stand-alone entity, the ratings assigned to MTS continue to reflect the company's strong position as a leading mobile operator in Russia, and the expectation that MTS will act as a leading consolidator on the Russian mobile market, Moody's experts point out.

© &to=http://www.rbc.com' target=_blank>RBC