Mobile Content Russia

On February 7-th INTECH company will launch ICMP (Interactive Convergent Media Platform) in the mobile network of SMARTS. This platform uses flexible charging that have a positive impact on the subscriber’s loyalty to the IVR services and brings a significant increase in IVR revenue. The previous experience has proved that the model of providing service with flexible charging is successful in comparison with existing IVR services.

Mobile services operator life:) created the official group for VKontakte users, which is open for all of its subscribers and other followers. The newly created life:) community will publish top news, pictures, music, videos, offering contests and generating discussions.

With regard to the increasing popularity of social networks, in 2010 life:) became the first mobile service operator in Ukraine to offer free access to the most popular social networks – VKontakte and Facebook.

Now life:) is launching its official group in VKontakte, as this network is the most widely used among its subscribers.

Spb Software, a leading mobile software developer, announces the results of the seventh annual SPB Survey. This year the survey was held from November 18th till December 7th and aimed to give an overview of the latest mobile market trends, while helping in identifying changes in user profiles, mobile device expectations and the typical handset use cases. The most discussed and controversial issues in 2010 were picked to be included in the survey. The highly respected mobile market analysts Distimo and MobileSQUARED were involved in the work on the survey questions.

VimpelCom (which operates under the Beeline trademark) announced that Henk van Dalen will become Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Management Board of the VimpelCom Ltd. group. The appointment will be effective on September 1, 2010.

Henk van Dalen is CFO and a member of the Board of Management of TNT N.V., an international express and mail delivery services company, publicly listed and traded on Euronext Amsterdam, with operations in more than 200 countries and about 160,000 employees. Before becoming CFO of TNT in 2006, Henk van Dalen worked for 30 years at DSM N.V., a Euronext Amsterdam listed company involved in the production of nutritional, pharmaceutical and chemical products. Mr. van Dalen was group CFO of DSM from 2000 to 2006 and managed various divisions in the period 1990 – 2000.

Nikita Mobile (Armenia) has won the tender for developing of mobile content USSD-portal for one of the three Armenian mobile operators. While creating the USSD-portal Nikita Mobile involved WINGS, who developed the platform for content providers. (Previously, Nikita Mobile transferred its own services to WINGS multi-transport platform supporting SMS, IVR, WAP, USSD, etc.). WINGS team conducted works on connecting the platform to the operator, realizing of transport protocol, integrating with the project information partner’s systems, and preparing statistics. The platform supports the direct interaction with the operator’s system and provides multiple information services and entertainment content catalogue to the subscribers. Withdrawal from the subscriber's account for the paid services is made by MT billing. The information partners of the portal have access to the USSD-portal online statistics.

VimpelCom (which operates under the Beeline trademark) announced that its Board approved changes to the reporting structure of the Company. The reporting structure will be divided into four business units--Russia, Ukraine, CIS and International--that will report to the Company’s headquarters in Amsterdam.

In connection with the restructuring, Elena Shmatova has been appointed the General Director of OJSC “VimpelCom” and will lead the Russia business unit. The Ukraine business unit will continue to be led by Igor Lytovchenko, President of Kyivstar. The CIS business unit will continue to be led by Dmitry Kromsky.

Russia's Svyazinvest is reported to have suspended plans to merge its mobile network subsidiaries with the smallest of the country's three dominant mobile networks, MegaFon. (Though by some reports MegaFon overcame VimpelCom in April and now it's the second largest mobile operator in Russia in terms of subscribers base - Mobile Content Russia note). A Svyazinvest spokeswoman told Dow Jones News that the company is no longer negotiating with Megafon and the proposal is on hold until next year. No explanation was given for why the talks were suspended.

Svyazinvest is primarily a landline operator, but also owns 14 mobile networks, which operate in four federal districts. The mobile networks had around 16 million subscribers at the end of last year, equivalent to a market share of 9%. A study carried out by consultants, McKinsey recommended merging the networks with another company.

“VimpelCom Ltd.” (“VimpelCom Ltd.” or the “Company”) (NYSE: VIP) today announced that it has delivered the squeeze-out demand notice and related material required to be provided under applicable Russian law to OJSC "Vimpel-Communications" ("OJSC VimpelCom").

As described in VimpelCom Ltd.'s final prospectus dated March 25, 2010, all OJSC VimpelCom shares and American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") not tendered to VimpelCom Ltd. in its exchange offers to holders of OJSC VimpelCom shares and ADSs are subject to a mandatory squeeze-out procedure under Russian law. Today, VimpelCom Ltd. commenced the squeeze-out procedure through which it will acquire all remaining OJSC VimpelCom shares, including those represented by ADSs, for a cash payment of RUB 11,800 per share (which is equal to approximately US$382.18 per share at the exchange rate as of May 25, 2010).

Russian WiMAX operator Yota said on Friday that it is to switch to LTE technology in a significant blow to the WiMAX camp. Reuters reports that Yota plans to spend US$100 million rolling out LTE networks in five Russian cities in 2010, while total investment is estimated at up to US$2 billion. It plans to launch LTE in Moscow and Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg at the end of 2011.

Russian flag-carrier Aeroflot is to equip four of its aircraft with in-flight mobile communications capability developed by a domestic company.

Moscow-based mobile network operator MegaFon is to provide base stations to be fitted to Aeroflot's aircraft. The first jet to be fitted will be an Airbus A320, with the initial installation completed by summer 2010. Aeroflot will extend the service to an Airbus A330, and plans to equip two more A320s, by the end of the year.