MTS crosses 10 mn customers mark, re-brands itself (India)
MTS which is owned by Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited (SSTL) has re-branded itself with a new tag “A step ahead” to celebrate the achievement of over 10 million subscriber base in the country.
According to Vsevolod Rozanov, President and Chief Executive officer SSTL, it is indeed a proud moment for the company to have crossed the 10 million customer milestone. They had started this journey about two years ago in Tamil Nadu and have crossed this milestone in less than two years.
MTS has also launched MTS Pulse, an Android based, 3.2 inch touch screen smartphone designed by Taiwanese manufacturer HTC costing US$398.57 (Rs.18,000), which the customers can get free of cost by signing a postpaid agreement with the operator.
As part of the post paid agreement, the customer will need to do is sign up for a monthly rental of US$332.14 (Rs.15,000) with a commitment for 12 months and they would get the smartphone free. Also, bundled with the scheme are 1,500 minutes free talk time, 1,500 text messages and 1,500 MB data usage every month for 12 months.
Sistema Shyam (MTS) to invest USD 55 Mn
Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited (SSTL), a joint venture company between Russia’s Sistema and Shyam Group of India, will be investing USD 55 Mn to expand its code division multiple access (CDMA) network in one of the southern states in India (Andhra Pradesh) by the end of this year.
MTS India has successfully launched in 12 circles now and MTS India CEO, Vsevolod Rozanov, said the plan for this year was to complete all the 22 circles with an investment of over USD 1.1 Bn.
Currently, MTS India has 4.5 million subscribers, including 72,000 for high-speed data services. Data is the future of our company and is clearly a differential business model than other aggregators. We expect data services to account for one-third of our revenues and achieve break-even by 2013,†Rozanov told Business Standard in India.
Replying to a query, Rozanov said the company would switch to another vendor if China-based Huawei Technologies’ products were not allowed into India.
It may be recalled that the Indian government has blocked Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corporation from selling telecom network equipment to domestic phone carriers due to security reasons.
MTS India joins CDMA Development Group
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: MTS, the mobile telephony services brand of Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd (SSTL), announced that it has joined the CDMA Development Group (CDG), an international consortium of CDMA service providers and manufacturers, application developers and content providers. Founded in December 1993, the CDG has more than 140 members worldwide, including operators, equipment vendors, application developers, content providers and other telecommunications companies that work together to ensure interoperability among systems while expediting the adoption of CDMA2000 wireless systems across the globe.
The association with CDG will help MTS to interact with industry decision makers and innovators from CDMA service providers and manufacturers worldwide, and will give critical insights into the CDMA technology, industry patterns, customer buying patterns and customer needs. MTS will be able to network with the pioneers of CDMA technology in this space and discuss industry trends, roadblocks and future technologies on the CDMA platform.
Making the announcement, Vsevolod Rozanov, President and CEO of Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited, said, MTS India is currently launching CDMA2000 services very aggressively across different telecom circles of the country.‚ As a consortium of international CDMA service providers and manufacturers, CDG provides the right platform for MTS India to connect with the global CDMA community. We can share our experiences and also learn about new emerging technologies. Our participation in CDG also reinstates our long-term commitment to CDMA in India and ensures that the benefits of latest breakthroughs in CDMA technology can percolate through the diaspora of both the urban as well as the vastly untapped rural population of the nation.
Shyam Telelink renamed Sistema Shyam TeleServices (Russia, India)
Sistema, the largest diversified public corporation in Russia and the CIS, which manages fast growing companies operating in the telecommunications, consumer services sectors and technology industries, announced that Shyam Telelink Ltd., a subsidiary of Sistema, was renamed Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd. (Sistema Shyam TeleServices†or Shyamâ€), following the decision made at the EGM of Shareholders of Shyam.
Vsevolod Rozanov, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sistema Shyam TeleServices, commented: Renaming of Shyam Telelink is a logical step in the development of our Indian operator. As previously announced, Shyam will be offering its services under the MTS brand from February 2009. Furthermore, Sitronics has supplied radio relay equipment to Shyam in the state of Rajasthan. These efforts clearly position Sistema Shyam TeleServices as an integral part of the Sistema Group, which is now reflected in its name.â€
Vitaly Savelyev, First Vice President of Sistema, Head of Telecommunications Assets†operating unit, Chairman of Sistema Shyam TeleServices, commented: We intend to further develop Sistema Shyam TeleServices and to launch its mobile network in two additional Indian circles in the near future.â€
Shyam opened its new head office with a staff of 120 in Gurgaon, a satellite city near Delhi. Sistema Shyam TeleServices now has spectrum in 22 Indian circles, covering 28 administrative states and 7 union territories with a population of approximately 1.1 billion people. Sistema Shyam TeleServices launched a CDMA 800 MHz mobile network in the state of Rajasthan at the end of September 2008. The Sistema Shyam TeleServices’ subscriber base has exceeded 500,000 users, including nearly 300,000 mobile subscribers, as at January 26, 2009.
About Sistema
Sistema is the largest public diversified corporation in Russia and the CIS, which manages fast growing companies operating in the telecommunications, consumer services sectors and technology industries and has over 100 million customers. Sistema develops and manages market-leading businesses in selected industries, including telecommunications, technology, banking, real estate, retail, media, tourism and healthcare. Founded in 1993, the company reported revenues of US$ 12.6 billion for the first nine months of 2008 (unaudited), and total assets of US$ 32.0 billion as at September 30, 2008 (unaudited). Sistema’s shares are listed under the symbol SSA†on the London Stock Exchange, under the symbol AFKS†on the Russian Trading System (RTS), under the symbol AFKC†on the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange (MICEX), and under the symbol SIST†on the Moscow Stock Exchange (MSE).
Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited (SSTL) was founded in 1998 and started its operations in the state of Rajasthan in 2000. Presently SSTL has more than 500,000 fixed-line and mobile subscribers in the state of Rajasthan and continues to further expand its network and develop its service offering. SSTL obtained a unified pan-Indian license to provide cellular services in March 2008 and now has spectrum in 22 Indian circles. SSTL is a joint venture between Sistema and the Shyam Group of India. Sistema Shyam TeleServices is majority-owned by Sistema (73.7%).
For further information, please visit www.sistema.com
