Mobile Content Russia

MTS, the largest cellular network operator in Russia and CIS, announces that it has won the GSM Association’s (“GSMA”) 15th Annual Global Mobile Award at the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. MTS won the award in the “Best Billing & Customer Care Solution” category for its “Your Individual Optimal Tariff Plan” service. MTS is the first mobile operator from Russia and the CIS to be recognized with one of the most prestigious awards in the telecommunications industry.

Opera Software today announced that MTS, the largest cellular network operator in Russia and CIS, will now provide a co-branded version of the Opera Mini browser for its subscribers, who will be able to download it on their mobile phones at mini.opera.com. Subscribers of MTS will get access to a customized Opera Mini start page when they download the browser on their mobile phones.

The start page will have default bookmarks which give MTS subscribers quick and easy access to music, videos and games as well as giving users the opportunity to purchase content directly from the browser.

Mobile Content Russia Magazine is pleased to share with its readers the video of Victor Saeijs' presentation at VI Mobile VAS Conference. Victor Saeijs is Vice-President Sales Eurasia Nokia. Victor presents the new SDK with Ovi Maps integration for mobile developers and explains why Nokia stepped into mobile internet-based services market.

NB: Don't forget to push HD button.

Mobile Content Russia Magazine is pleased to share with its readers the video of Ivar van Dijk presentation at VI Mobile VAS Conference “Driving scale through bundling: Strategies for delivering mobile entertainment”.

NB: Don't forget to push HD button.

Out There Media, the international leader in Mobile Advertising, announces the signing of a partnership agreement with MTS, a leading mobile operator in Ukraine with a customer base of 17.74 million mobile subscribers and a 32% market share. The agreement enables MTS to offer targeted Mobile Advertising, through Mobucks™, the multi-channel Mobile Advertising marketplace technology developed by Out There Media. Out There Media is also responsible for monetization, sales, business development and operations support, within the partnership agreement. It is estimated that Out There Media now has access to more than 40 million mobile phones in Ukraine, which corresponds to over 80% of the country’s total mobile subscriber population.

VimpelCom (which operates under the Beeline trademark) has announced test launch of mobile DVB-H TV service in Moscow city, capital of Russia.

Mobile TV service Beeline provides its users with the ability to watch common TV channels on mobile. Users can watch eleven channels. While service operates in beta mode, it is available free of charge.

MTS, the largest cellular network operator in Russia and CIS, has made unlimited internet access available for all subscribers signed up to MTS Connect (meaning that this flat-rate can be use only with MTS branded USB-modem) data plan in all regions of Russian Federation.

Pavel Roitberg, product director, MTS, says: “As 3G networks, launched by MTS in 43 cities of Russia, are developing, mobile web access is becoming a bulk service among our subscribers […]”.

Russian WiMAX provider Yota has begun deploying its network in Nicaragua. The broadband Internet access penetration in Nicaragua is less than 1% which is one of the worst figures throughout the Latin American region. The extreme monopolization and weak competition in the market lead to poor service quality and high tariffs and eventually hinder the development of the communications market in the country. Considering the obvious interdependence between the penetration of communications services and the economic development of the country, the government of Nicaragua has ruled to bring the new player to the market: the player with solid experience in the development of the new generation communication networks.

MTS, the largest cellular network operator in Russia and CIS, announces that it has successfully renegotiated the terms of the EUR 300 million credit facility from Gazprombank as part of the Company's efforts to reduce the interest rates of its debt portfolio.

MTS initially entered the credit agreement with Gazprombank in late December 2008. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company was to pay an annual interest rate of 12%. As the result of negotiations, the interest rate has been decreased to 8%. The maturity of the facility has been extended by more than a year from June 2011 to September 2012. MTS has already paid down EUR 50 million of the original facility.

MTS, the largest cellular network operator in Russia and CIS, has announced the launch of BlackBerry service, end-to-end solution for safe remote access to corporate email on BlackBerry smartphones for companies which operates outside Moscow and Moscow region. When subscribing to the service, company gets BlackBerry smartphones. MTS sets up company's servers and mail client connection. Monthly payment for unlimited BlackBerry service is 590 rubles (about 20 dollars).

First time BlackBerry email service was introduced in Ukraine in October, 2007, when MTS rolled out BlackBerry enterprise service. In June 2008, MTS launched BlackBerry email service for enterprise users in Russia. Today the service is used by 500 large companies in Russia.