MTS launched 3G network in Orenburg
MTS, the largest cellular network operator in Russia and CIS, has announced commercial launch of its 3G network in Orenburg. Orenburg is a city on the Ural River and the administrative center of Orenburg Region in the Volga Federal District of Russia. It is situated 1,478 km southeast of Moscow, very close to the border with Kazakhstan. Its population is 542,700 (2005 est.).
At its launch 3G network covers the central part of the city where most offices, administrative buildings and institutions of higher education are located. By the end of 2009 MTS plans to broaden the network coverage up to 100% of the city territory. 3G technology provides data transfer rate up to 3.6Mb per second.
Since July 7, 2009 MTS subscribers in Orenburg will be able to use a new service «Internet for pennies» («Internet za kopeiki»). The service gives access to mobile Web at price 0,95 roubles ($0,03) for 1Mb. In order to enable the service subscriber should pay 50 rubles ($1,4) at a time. Subscription fee is 1.5 rubles ($0,05) per 24 hours.
MTS was the first mobile carrier to launch 3G network in Volga region. Today MTS 3G network in Volga federal district are available for citizens of Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Izhevsk, Naberezhnye Chelny, Ufa, Samara, Tolyatti, Syzran, Saratov and Engels. By the end of this year MTS 3G network will become available in most large cities of Volga region. The number of 3G unique users in Volga region is growing twice each quarter, while volume of 3G traffic consumption is increasing three times sequentially.
Today MTS 3G networks operate in all federal districts of Russia: Ural, Far East, Siberia, South, North-West, Volga region, Moscow and Central district, - altogether in 34 Russian cities. In the first quarter 2009 the volume of 3G traffic in Russia grew by 3.2 times comparing with the fourth quarter 2008. Nowadays more than half of all active MTS 3G users generate at average about 1Gb data a month. The number of unique MTS 3G users in Russia is increasing twice each quarter.
В© Oxana Vassilyeva