Mobile Content Russia

The Tele2 operator has started providing national roaming in Russian within Beeline's network. Tele2 explains that a 10-year strategic agreement on national roaming foresees the sale of the operator's daughter company in Irkutsk to Vimpelcom.

Tele2 has started providing national roaming on the basis of Beeline's network. Now Tele2 subscribers can communicate in all those regions not covered by the Sweden operator, if Beeline operates in the given regions. The company believes the given agreement enables it to pretend for the title of the fourth national mobile operator.

Let's recollect how the transaction was concluded. As Beeline is not presented in several regions of the Far East because of problems with licenses and frequencies, its only possibility to expand into the Irkutsk Region was to buy a local operator. In August 2007 Tele2 decided to give up developing its business in Irkutsk and sold its daughter company the Severnaya Korona Corporation to Vimpelcom for $232 mln.

After that Beeline signed an agreement with Tele2 to provide it with roaming during ten years. The Sweden Company immediately stated that �the sale of its operator in Irkutsk is closely related to signing a strategic agreement on national roaming'. �The given step should not be considered as contradictory to Tele2 strategy to expand its business in Russia', - said Carl-Magnus Stenberg, who was the President of Tele2 Russia at that time.

Concluding an agreement on roaming with Tele2 might be considered as an additional bonus for the Sweden company. �Launching the given service, we simplify communication outside the Tele2 network for our subscribers. Launching the national roaming, Tele2 becomes a national operator', - said Roman Volodin, Product Director at Tele2 Russia.