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Mobile TeleSystems (News - Alert) (MBT) has announced the commercial launch of its 3G network in Saint Petersburg and technical readiness of 3G networks for commercial launch in Sochi, Yekaterinburg and Kazan.

 

"With the launch of 3G networks in major regions of Russia, MTS (News - Alert) is starting a new phase in the development of telecommunications in the CIS,” said Mikhail Shamolin, CEO at MTS Russia. “We are keen to offer 3G services to our customers, as we see great demand for data and broadband solutions in Russia.”

 

The company believes that the key benefit of a next-generation network is the ability to provide customers with “faster data download speeds with top download capacity using HSPA technology up to 3.6 Mbit/s.”

 

According to company officials, this is over ten times faster than the currently available 2G EDGE technology. Higher speeds enable faster download of mobile content and higher quality email services, particularly for work with large attachments.

 

With 3G, the company expects to bring true mobile broadband to subscribers of MTS Connect, a proprietary mobile Internet solution from MTS that comes as a modem for desktop PCs or laptops.

 

Officials said that their company has also launched a number of services available only through the 3G infrastructure, and customers on the new network are now able to make video calls, access mobile TV and roam on 3G networks.

 

In addition, international roamers are able to access fast speeds and advanced services on MTS' 3G networks.

 

Saint Petersburg is said to be the first Russian city where MTS has launched its next-generation network, and the Company plans to launch additional 3G networks in over 10 cities during 2008 and in up to 40 cities in Russia through 2009.

 

The company holds 3G licenses in Uzbekistan and Armenia, where the network will be launched as early as 2009.

 

Additionally, the company is planning to invest around 38 billion roubles in 3G network development over the next three years to provide high-speed data transfer services to its customers in Russia and the CIS.

 

Shamolin said, “We believe that conditions for the 3G launch in Russia are more favorable than in the developed markets. Today's HSPA-enabled infrastructure allows download speeds up to 10 times faster than the first phase of 3G networks, while the costs for equipment and devices are significantly cheaper. We have access to best-practice implementation from around the world and our 3G network benefits from higher-quality and more advanced mobile services and devices.”