Murmansk Mobile Network (merged with Tele2)

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Murmansk Mobile Network (MMS), a Russian mobile operator, was founded in 1995 as a joint venture between Murmansk Electrosvyaz and the Vostok Mobile, a unit of Global TeleSystems Group Inc. The company received its license to operate cellular services in the digital D-AMPS (TDMA) standard in July 1995 and started its commercial operations in October 1995. It has an installed capacity for 1600 subscribers. In January 2001 Vostok Mobile B.V was acquired by MCT Corp. It provides services under the brand name INDIGO which was introduced in May 2001 by MCT Corp. and unites 13 operators in Russia and CIS. MMS received a GSM-1800 license in October 2001 and started building GSM 1800 network in September 2002. In November 2003 MMS completed the first phase of a GSM-1800 standard network with 18 base stations and a switchboard from the Chinese company Huawei Technologies and a capacity for 400,000 subscribers, equipment estimated at over US$1.5 million. Total estimated investments in the project were US$3 million. The GSM network now provides full coverage to the cities of Murmansk and Kola, the town of Murmashi and the airport. In June 2006 Tele2 purchased 100% of Vostok Mobile Northwest BV from MCT Corp. This deal gave Tele2 control over ZAO Arkhangelsk Mobile Networks, ZAO Novgorod Telecommunications, ZAO Murmansk Mobile Network and Parma Mobile (Komi Republic). http://www.mmn.ru/about.asp