In the CIS - cell boom

Every third owner of a mobile phone in the CIS is not a Russian. These are the results of a study conducted by the Russian branch of the analytical company IDC . A boom in the mobile phones market is observed not only in Russia, in 2001 the number of mobile subscribers in other CIS countries increased more than doubled compared to 1.7 million at the end of 2000. Of the 12 million in the CIS, 7.5 million falls on Russia, about 1.9 million - to Ukraine and 1.9 million - for all other countries. The markets of Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan are growing very quickly, and Ukraine set a real record in 2001: a 100%growth of the number of cell phones was recorded there. Nevertheless, domestic operators are in no hurry to expand the geography of their presence while foreigners do it for them.

In absolute numbers, the Ukrainian market in the CIS is approaching the markets of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. In terms of growth rate - only the market of Uzbekistan, in which over the year the number of cellular users has increased from 65,000 to 125,000. Alas, Russian operators have not yet participated in the section of the sweetest pieces of the future pie.

Today, Russian operators participate in only two mobile companies in the CIS. The North-Western GSM, which is part of the Megafon project, has been owned by 75% of the Tajik GSM operator TT MOBILE since the summer of 2001. In the fall of the same year, the “mobile television systems” won the tender of the Ministry of Communications of Belarus to create a joint venture with the GUP intercity communication - the Russian operator has 45%in the yet unnamed GSM operator.

In the slowly growing market of Belarus, where the MTS cellular network unfolds, there are about 100,000 mobile subscribers. In Tajikistan, the situation is not more deplorable: according to official figures, TT Mobile has only more than 600 customers, and Tajiktel and Somonk operating with it are no more than 500.

But in the CIS markets there are quite a few companies from far abroad - both mobile operators and manufacturers of communication equipment. American MCT Corp. He owns the control packages of the Tajik GSM operator "Somonk" and the Uzbek "Koska", which work under the Indigo brand. Turkish Turkcell owns assets of a number of mobile companies in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The American Golden Telecom owns the Golden Telecom GSM Ukraine shares. Deutsche Telecom, KPN and TeLEDENMARK have 16.33% of shares in Ukrainian Mobile Communications (UMS), the Norwegian Telenor operator owns the Kyivstar assets, and the Korean Daewoo owns 80% of the shares of Ukrainian mobile radio systems.

Neither in MTS nor in Vimpelkom they say anything about any plans to conquer neighboring markets. “Today, the development of Russian networks is a priority for us,” the operators say. However, as Vedomosti write, the analysts of the telecommunication market are sure that both current leader of the Russian cell market and the “megaphone rapidly catching up with them will very soon change their decision.