DUSAHNBE, September 12, Asia-Plus – On Monday September 11, Russia”s second largest mobile company, VimpelCom (Vimpel-Communications), which operates under the Beeline brand, introduced this brand in Tajikistan as well.
According to information from Tajik cellular operator “Tacom”, it conducted an action on replacing SIM-cards of its clients with “Beeline” cards from August 30 to September 8. Tacom is licensed to provide cellular communication services in Tajikistan in the GSM-900/1800, UMTS, CDMA-450, and AMPS standards.
Sergey Avdeyev, the vice-president of VimpelCom for CIS states, telling the presentation ceremony noted that during two weeks the company will over not only Dushanbe, but also Tursunzoda, Qurghon Teppa, Kulob, Danghara and a part of the northern province of Sughd. Next year, the company’s services will be available for the population of Gorno Badakhshan, according to him.
The Tacom director general Igor Pilyugin telling the ceremony noted that the company is expected to have covered in Tajikistan the territory with some 80 percent of the country’s population by 2007. “Introduction of the “Beeline” brand in Tajikistan is an important step towards to development of telecommunications in the CIS states,” Pilyugin said, noting that one of advantages of the company is a high level of serving clients, including privileged roaming in Russian and online roaming in the CIS states.
According to Pilyugin, good economic indices of Tajikistan having the population of 7 million people give them good opportunities for development. “According to our experts estimates, the cellular penetration rate in Tajikistan will have stood at 8%-10% by the end of 2006,” Pilyugin said.
As it had been reported earlier, VimpelCom on December 27 last year announced the purchase of a 60% stake in Tajik cellular operator “Tacom” for $12 million. As a result of the deal, VimpelCom became a party to the shareholding agreement with shareholders in Tacom, who hold the remaining 40 percent of shares. Two physical entities – director general of the open joint-stock “Tacom” and the chairman of the directors’ board of open joint-stock company “OryonBonk” – assume the this 40% ownership interest in “Tacom”. It to be noted that this deal gives to VimpelCom the primary right to buy out remaining shares and increase its stake to 100%.
Since last December, VimpelCom has invested US$15 million in this project.
ABOUT:
The VimpelCom Group includes cellular companies operating in Russia and Kazakhstan with recently acquired cellular operators in Tajikistan, Georgia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. The Company operates under the ‘Beeline’ brand in Russia and Kazakhstan. In addition, VimpelCom is continuing to use ‘K-mobile’ and ‘EXCESS’ brands in Kazakhstan. The VimpelCom Group’s cellular license portfolio covers 78 regions of Russia and the entire territory of Georgia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
